Life as I Knew It
by SoulxCyanide
Summary: Kicked out by her stepfather, she's sent to live on an island and start new, leaving everyone she's ever loved behind. But can you abandon what you've had forever? M for violence, language, and eventual sexual themes.ChelseaxNotSureWhoYet,so bear with me!
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: Hello there! I'm glad to see my story has interested you!_

_This fanfiction will be Sunshine Islands/ Another Wonderful Life Oriented, chapters 1 and 2 will be set in Forget-me-not- Valley._

_I really hope you like it, and please, review!_

_I do not own Harvest Moon._

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><p><span>Chapter 1: We Don't Fight Fair...<span>

"I just don't see _why_ I have to go through with this." I say again to my mother. "I mean, we've—well, _I've_ lived in the valley since I was born, why should _I_ have to leave now? My friends are here, my memories, my _life_. How come Jack gets to stay, but I have to go take care of grandpa's farm?" I say, distressed.

"Honey, please don't start this again. We've already agreed you should have a fresh start somewhere els-"

"Who is 'we', mom? You and Ross? He just doesn't want me around, and you know I-"

"Ross and I have decided that it would be best for you to live your life somewhere else besides a small town where everyone knows everyone, honey, don't you think your friends will leave, eventually move away? You need to meet people, you need to try and socialise somewhere apart from the valley and the market side of mineral. I mean, come on, hon, you don't really think that your..._friends_ are going to live here forever? Surely you don't think that they will decide to go somewhere else to have their..._fun_?"She says 'fun' while making air quotes. _What a b__itch,_ I decide.

"Mom, we're not talking about the fucking future, for goddess' sake, I'm eighteen! Everyone else isn't going anywhere for a while, and, if they are, I doubt it'll be far from their roots. Just cause _your_ mom-"

"This has nothing to do with me; this has to do with the well being of my only daughter!_"_ She says shrilly, folding a pair of jeans into my suitcase. Her voice softens. "You can always visit, honey, I'm not _banishing_ you, for Goddess' sake. Jack's upholding the farm, I wouldn't expect you to sever ties with your brother."

I give her a blank look. She never mentioned this to me before.

"Did I not tell you?" she asks questioningly. "Oh...Well, Ross and I decided to move up North... To a place he grew up as a kid. It's beautiful, honey, he's showed me pictures. There's lakes, forests, fields..." She trails off, a gleam in her eyes. "Anyways. What's done is done, and tonight, people are expecting you!"

I glare at her as I clasp my packed suitcase together and hoist it off the bed and set it on the floor. "And if I don't?"

A rough voice comes is heard from the doorway. "Then it's me you'll be dealin' with."

I instinctively shrink back. I regain my composure quickly, though, and stand right back up to him. "I shouldn't have to listen to _you_," I say, looking to mom for backup.

Instead, I hear her mumble an excuse to leave the room right before Ross grabs me roughly by the arms. I feel all ten of his fingers dig into my arms and I'm fully aware that's it's gonna leave some slow-healing bruises when he growls in my face, all country twang and chew tobacco and yellow teeth. "You should be _glad_, I'm payin' for your new life, something your Ma wanted you to have before you keel over, y'ungrateful bitch. And if I _ever_ hear you questioning who's authority around here, your sorry little ass will find out and you won't like the consequences." He squeezes my arms harder for a few seconds, and I have to grit my teeth and shut my eyes so as not to cry out. I hear him give a satisfied grunt, and he abruptly let go. I learned not to hold my arms (or wherever the pain was inflicted), because I learned the hard way that he'll do it again, worse than before. He looked at me right before he left, and I glanced up to see him giving me and ugly smile and say, "Be lucky I went easy on ya, wouldn't want your pretty lil' face bruised when you meet yer neighbours." He gives me a nasty wink and slams the door.

I shudder. He's right, I _am _lucky. I recalled a time when he damn near beat my face in when I didn't haul in enough fish for supper. Turn out when I got home and started cooking, there was only enough for three people. So I got taken out back I woke up eight hours later with Jack mending my broken wrist, nose, concussion, and bruises all over my ribs and body. Those few months were _Hell_ for Muffy and everyone else, who could only come and see me when Ross was at work up in Mineral Town, or overseas.

I jump a bit when I hear someone knock and look up to see Jack coming in, something in his hands.

"Y'ok?" he mumbles.

"I'll survive," I whisper. "S'not the worst that's happened, ya know."

He looks into my eyes and holds out his hand. "Here," he says quickly. "Not much time before he realises something's up. Take this, and don't say I don't love you. Use it, Jill." I smile at the nickname. We're twins, Jack and I, and one day a few years ago, Lumina thought it'd be funny to call us 'Jack and Jill', and it's stuck with Jack ever since.

He shoves the money in my hand. "It's my savings for the past six months. Since you told me you're leaving. I know Ross won't give you any, so you need some-" I start to protest, but he cuts me off by saying, "Jill, shut the fuck up." Which shuts me up.

"What are you gonna eat, huh? Dirt? Didn't think so. Take it," He says, taking the wad of money from my still-open palms and putting it into the secret compartment in my rucksack that he sewed on when he found out about the weed parties I had with Muffy and Gustafa. "Don't tell _anyone_." He says quietly. "Never know who'll spread word." He's just done pulling the drawstring on my rucksack closed when we can hear Ross' footsteps getting close to the door. We improvise.

"Where'd you have it last?" Jack says loudly, then kicks the bedframe. "_OW!_ Not under the bed."

"Your head okay?" I say, facing away from the door. We do this all the time, jack and I are probably professional liars by now.

"Hey! I think I see it up there, can you reach it? I can't go without it."

"Yeeeah. Here." He stretches the word, authenticating the 'reacjing' line..

"Yes! Thanks!" I say, grabbing his bandana out of his pocket and stuffing it into my jeans pocket.

"TIME TO GO!" Ross yells from outside the door, making us both jump.

As I exit to the main room, Mom's there. She opens her arms for a hug. I see Ross glaring, so I wrap my arms around her, but that doesn't stop me from spitefully and quickly whispering into her ear, "I'm glad I'm gone, you know? I won't have to put up with your neglect_." _She flinches away, and I moved forwards again, pecked her on the cheek, and went back to whisper, "and don't forget the scars your 'boyfriends' have given me, they will _never_ heal. They didn't want _you_, they wanted _me_." I pulled away, still facing her, and stepped backwards towards the door. "And when they came back to visit, they didn't care about you, they never did! They only cared about how well your _daughter_ looked in cropped shorts and tank tops." I reach the door.

I hear her gasp and look to see her hands flying up to cover her mouth in shock. "…Why they never went to the hotel… I didn't…I never… I never thought…"

So, she remembers.

"Yep. Tear your heart out, huh, Ma?" I say maliciously. "Every. Fucking. One." She stares at me in shock, then slowly turns to look at Ross, aghast.

"Oh," I say, mock surprise in my voice. "Don't worry about him. He's all yours. Not that he hasn't touched me." I hold up and arm that clearly displays a line of bruises. She's seen those, though, so I pull up the bottom of my shirt to reveal a colourful medley of bruises scattered in different sizes all over my stomach and chest. "But he goes at me in a more…forceful way, don't 'cha, Rossie?"

I open the door just as he snaps. He grabs me by the arms, enough that his small fingernails dig into my skin enough to break it, and I feel some fresh blood come from the new wounds. Not to mention the grip he has on me is sure to have me sporting new bruises by tomorrow.

"_GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE_!" He roars, throwing me on the ground outside. I see Jack try and run out after me, but Ross throes his arm out to stop him. He gives me one last hateful glare, and slams the door on me.

As I'm getting to my feet, the door opens, and I look to see see my suitcase thrown out by my feet.  
>I grab my suitcase and head to Takakura's, feeling exposed without my rucksack. I wish I hadn't set it down.<p>

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jack jump stealthily from his bedroom window. He followed the way to Takakura's from behind a line of trees, out of sight from my former house. I don't even bother to knock, Takakura's like my other brother, the kind of family me and Jack _want_. I see him pouring over this week's order sheets. I say nothing but a simple "Jack's coming," and, picking up an order receipt so he can continue reading it, he stands up and unlocks his window.

As he was setting the paper back down on his desk, Jack jumped in through the window with my rucksack, thank Goddess. I helped him to his feet as Takakura re-locked the window.

"You make it out okay?" I ask him as he dusts himself off.

"Oh, yeah, I just played up a hissy fit, claiming that life wasn't fair, stomped around a bit, grabbed your bag, stomped into my room and slammed my door. They'll leave me for probably…another ten minutes, maybe?"

I sit on the edge of Takakura's bed. "…Can't believe she'd… such a terrible thing….her only daughter!" I hear Takakura muttering.

"Hey, now, don't make it any worse than it already is, Kura!" I glance up to see Tartan waking up, stretching his leaves.

"Shut up, you," Takakura grumbles miserably. "Or I'll put carrot shavings in your mulch."

Tartan instantly closes his mouth, but doesn't stop his smile or wavy-dance.

"Tartan…" I say, his brutal honesty almost comforting right now. At least I know one person who's not pitying me.  
>He turns to me, almost as if seeing me for the first time. "Hey there, Jill!" he quips happily. Unfortunately, 'Jill' was the first name he heard when meeting me, so from now on, in his mind, I will always be known a Jill, or the farm girl.<br>I sit and chat with Tartan for a few minutes when I realize Takakura's gone. I'm only able to say, "Where's-" when I'm cut off by him re-entering with a few things: a button-up shirt (much like what Marlin wears), and 2 large bags of seeds.

I notice, upon close inspection, I see that the seeds are breadfruit, and….Shit, what's the name? Fuck, I forgot it. Is it Rary? It's a fruit that looks and flashes like a light bulb. They're either Yellow or Blue, we have both seeds mixed in the bags, they're the same hybrid.

Within the next few minutes, I have the oversized button-up hanging over my shoulders, not having bothered to button it, my rucksack over my back, suitcase in hand, goodbyes said, and I'm ready to leave. I give Jack one last hug, to which he whispers into my ear, "Take care of yourself, and keep in touch... I'll miss you," he adds, just before clambering back out the window and going back through the trees. I hitch my rucksack up over my shoulder some more, and prepare for the goodbyes to life as I knew it.

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><p><em><span>Did you like it?<span>_

_Please review if so!  
><span>_

_Thanks guys, _

_xoSoul_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hi Guys, me again! I'm glad to have had some reviews in the first few weeks! I have more info on upcoming chapters, but first, please enjoy the latest chapter!_

_A super-big thanks to HMS and forevergone123 for my first reviews! :)_

Chpt.2: No Turning Back...

_The goodbyes_. That's what I had been dreading the most. I leave the farm, and wonder whether to go left or right. I go right.  
>I go right past the Inn, and straight to the Bar. Inside, Griffin was wiping down the few tables that he had with a rag he's been using since I can remember. I nod to him, and he smiles sadly. He was the first adult I told I was leaving, probably the one I can trust most.<br>"She's in the back," he murmurs. "Waiting."  
>I murmur back a 'thank-you' and open the door to their livingsleeping area. I can hear her scuffling around above, in her attic-bedroom.  
>"Muffy?" I call.<br>"Just a second, sweetie," she calls back. "Can't figure out how this fucking thing works." I sigh. Probably some new article of clothing.  
>"There!" she says triumphantly, and I see her feet poke out of the trapdoor as she descends the ladder.<br>She's wearing a thin, low-cut, V-neck black dress, complete with a gray lace-trim, a matching headband, and a leftover strip of lace tied around the base of her neck like a choker.  
>"We're not <em>mourning<em>, Muffy. And for Goddess' sake, the black makes ya look like a fuckin' Vampire." Her skin, already pale, looks almost white in contrast to her golden hair and black attire.  
>"Well, I'm losing my best friend. I have a <em>right<em> to mourn," She sniffs. "I also _finally_ had a reason to wear this thing," She winks at me.  
>I roll my eyes and pick my suitcase up off the floor. "Can we go? The boat's here in two hours."<br>"Yes, Let's," She says, a somewhat distant look in her eyes. "Did you stop at the Inn on your way here?" She asks. "To give Rock a goodbye he'll…_never forget_?" She says slyly, as we exit back into the empty Bar.  
>"Fuck you," I say playfully, but with a touch of seriousness. "I came straight here, wouldn't want you to miss anything."She winks at me as I turn to Griffin.<br>Muffy grabs my suitcase before I set it down, and, before I knew it, Griffin had wrapped me into a hug. Which was odd, I have to say, I was just expecting a formal goodbye, but I hugged him back, nonetheless.  
>His head bends down to my ear and he murmurs, "Take care of yourself, girly, men aren't always as innocent as they first seem. Make sure you visit; I don't want to lose my best customer," I hear the smile in his voice as he says the last bit.<br>He pulls me by the shoulders gently, and looks at me from arm's length. He smiles, a real smile, the ones he always saves for me and Muffy. "And," he says, "Thanks for helping me keep up with _her_." I smile and nod, too emotionally mixed-up for words.  
>I pull him back into a hug, knowing I'll miss him most of all the adults. He was like the father I never had, the garbage my mother brought home never counting, for reasons too painful to resurface.<p>

He leans down to give me a quick kiss on the cheek, another shocker, then says goodbye and ushers me out the door, saying how there's other people more important than him, and the boat's only here once.  
>He squeezes my shoulder gently in an encouraging gesture, and wishes me luck as Muffy takes my other hand and I leave the Blue Bar for the final time until I'm able to return.<br>*O*O*O*  
>Muffy still has my hand and my suitcase as we head back the way I came, towards the Inner Inn.<br>As Muffy and I walk in, I see Tim leave his post at the front desk and walk over to me.  
>"Ruby has something for you," he smiles. "But she seems to have misplaced it. Rock's helping her look as well."<br>My jaw drops. I quickly recover, shaking my head and stuttering, "S-she didn't-y-you guys really didn't have-" I was cut off by Ruby, in the kitchen, suddenly yelling, "Found it!" and Rock giving a triumphant cheer.  
>I hear their footsteps quickly getting louder, and finally, I see them emerging from behind the curtain that blocks the view of the kitchen.<br>Ruby holds her hands out to me, a medium-sized hardcover book in her hands. It looked hand-made, probably either from the market, or one of Gustafa's many organic creations.  
>"Now that you'll be on your own, we decided that you should have something that will not only help you, but let you remember us as well. Here," she smiles with the last word and I take the book from her outstretched hands.<br>I flip it open to a random page and my mind automatically recognizes Takakura's handwriting, explaining how to make a fruit dessert. I notice his signature marked on the bottom of the page.  
>"I got everyone to take their favourite home-made recipe and write it on a piece of paper. Then I got Gustafa to sew the pages into a book. He used the strongest material he could find; let's hope it lasts a while." Ruby winks at the last remark. I can usually go about a week before whatever book I have mysteriously gets brutally ruined. I don't know how I do it; all I know is this book is staying intact for the next 40 years.<br>I hug the book tight to my chest. "Uh-uh. Not this one."  
>I keep flipping through the pages. "Hey! There's mine and Griffin's!" One of Muffy's perfectly manicured hands splay across two pages, side by side (the pages were thick and double-sided), one with an untidy scrawl, the other a mass of bubbly letters, with the i's dotted in circles or hearts. Both, obviously, consist of making alcoholic drinks. But what can you expect? They live in a Bar, for fuck's sake.<br>Griffin's chicken-scratch recipe shows me how to make his famous Stone Oil, and Muffy's is a combination of cocktails and one of our own home-made concoctions (that made the Blue Bar menu) that we drunkenly named Moo-Moo Milk. I look at her and smile. She winks. "Couldn't have you forgetting about that, sweetie!"  
>I flipped a few more pages and came across Ruby's recipe, being none other than her infamous Ruby Spice. Her hidden recipe that she's kept secret all these years is now in my hands. Well, fuck.<br>I look at her, mouth agape. "Ruby, you seriously can't be-"  
>"I am," she says firmly. "You've always shown a knack for cooking-"<br>"Fuckin' right, Ma!" Rock chimes in. Ruby and Tim never really cared with what kind of language he uses around them. 'They're just words,' they would say.  
>Rock looks at me slyly. "Seein' as how she's in here every damn week to cook!"<br>"Hey," I say, automatically going into defence mode. "It ain't _my_ fault my mother won't let me near the damn stove, she's the one who wants me to leave in the first plac-"  
>"Now, now, let's not bring this up, Dear," Ruby says softly, but eyeing me all the same. She pulls me into a hug. "Remember, Life is full of surprises and adventures, and this is but one of many. I do so hope you'll have fun." She pulls away, a sad smile on her face.<br>I turn to Tim and offer him a hug. He sheepishly obliges, saying, "Remember, Ruby and I used to travel around the world." I feel like rolling my eyes—like I haven't heard that story before. "It's not as scary as you'd think!" I look at him and smile, appreciating the comfort he's willing to give. His eyes are twinkling in a smile.  
>"My turn!" I hear Rock shout, giving me a split-second warning before he jumps me and pulls me into a bear-hug.<br>"I'll fuckin' miss ya, Babe! Parties'll never be the same without you, ya know! So you'll have to come back, okay?" He lets go, leaving me gasping for breath. His hands linger on my hips a few moments too long to not be suspicious. I glance at him questioningly, and he shrugs playfully.  
>"We'll miss you, Dear," Ruby says, as Muffy turns towards the door.<br>I start to turn to follow her out the door, but not before Rock has to be the asshole he is and kiss me. Mind you, it was on the cheek, but for some reason he found the need to squeeze my ass as well.  
>"<em>Rock<em>," I say sharply. "_Don't_."  
>"Sorry, Babe, couldn't help myself. Last time in a while, sadly." He gives me a final wink as we exit into the cold winter air.<br>"So, where to next, Babe?" Muffy picked up 'Babe' from Rock, he's always calling me it, and Muffy says it 'suits' me.  
>I head towards the square, then automatically walk towards Galen and Nina's house. I can hear Muffy's heels click against the pavement as I knock on their door. I hear Nina call, "Come in!" And I open the door.<br>*O*O*O*  
>We left 10 minutes later with goodbyes, Nina's famous fresh apple cookies (I hope she gave me one of her baking recipes!), and promises to come back soon. I walk across the road to see Nami in her garden, fuckin' girl's always there.<br>There was a quick but quiet goodbye; she never really talked much anyway. I'll probably miss her least out of all the people I party with.  
>When I walk into Chris and Wally's house, the last thing I expected was a crying Hugh, much less him flinging himself at me in a teary-eyed hug. I left feeling considerably sadder, though the thought of Wally's home-made workout regime he made me did make me smile. He's always told me I need to gain muscle—as if I didn't have any, I work on a farm, for Goddess' sake! He always picked on me, though, 'cause I'm the smallest of our group. I do have muscle; it just doesn't show.<br>While Muffy and I are making our way up the hill to the Villa, I can hear Lumina playing the piano. It really is amazing, how easily she can play.  
>I open the door, and, sure enough, she's gracefully playing one of her favourite songs, eyes closed, entranced in the melody.<br>Romana's cats come slinking over to see me… They're too fucking adorable, what were their names again? As I kneel down to pat them, Muffy edges away, towards the piano. She hates cats. Likes dogs, but just fuckin' _hates_ cats.  
>I hear her murmur something to Lumina, and she finishes the last few strokes of the song.<br>She jumps up and bounds over to me, just as a 15 year-old would. She abruptly turns around and calls, "Grand- I mean, Romana! They're here!" She takes my hands and looks at me and says very seriously, "I'll miss you! Please come back and visit!" She sniffs and quickly wipes her eyes as Romana and Sebastian come out, and I notice Sebastian holding… Another cat? Shit, I thought 2 were enough; she's turning into a crazy cat lady!  
>"Oh, dearie, I'll miss your visits," She says sadly. "I couldn't think of something to get you- I know, I already gave a recipe, but then this little thing came along. Show her, Sebastian," Romana said, and he held out the little kitten, it had to be less than a week old. "I know how you love cats, as you visit mine often, so I had a thought that he would be a good companion for you in your new life."<br>Sebastian hands me the kitten, and I can't help but smile as I take it into my hands. It was like midnight, no colour other than black on its tiny body. I look at his tiny pink paws.  
>"It's a boy," Lumina says softly as I stroke his head. One of his eyes opens and looks right into mine, a deep, incandescent emerald looking at me. I instantly feel a connection between us, like this kitten was a part of my-<br>"Soul," I say aloud, which gets me some pretty odd stares. I blush, then clarify, "his name. I'm calling him Soul." Everyone nods, like it's a good name for him, but Muffy gives me a 'you're-fucking-weird' look. She winks, and looks at the clock. I have about 40 minutes. I give more hugs, thank-yous and goodbyes. With my new buddy in tow, I head back down the hill with Muffy by my side.  
>*O*O*O*<br>After a quick goodbye to Murrey (and his flies, Bob and Janet), I say goodbye to Gustafa, telling him to keep the green fresh for more parties when I get back. I'll miss his parties for sure. Rock's are a bit more… Hardcore, where as Gustafa's are mellow and not as dance-hard-techno as Rock's. Before we leave the hut, he pats Soul and complements the name I gave him. I hoist Soul up between the crook of my elbow, smile, and exit the tent into the dry winter air.  
>I shade my eyes as I look across the bridge to Vesta's farm.<br>"C'mon, babe," Muffy says, and takes my hand again. She still has my suitcase. "I know you're looking forward to this goodbye."  
>I scowl at her as we cross the bridge. I realize Soul's squirming quite a bit in my arms. "Don't worry, buddy," I whisper to him. "I'll get you some nice milk on the boat."<br>I hear Celia squeal and yell, "Vesta!" before she sprints over to me. "I'll miss you so much!' she says. "I'll miss having you buy seeds, and visiting and helping me plant and water and-"  
>"She doesn't need her damn ear talked off, Celia," says a gruff voice. I turn to see Marlin exiting the house with Vesta. Celia blushes and quickly gives me a hug, probably to cover her embarrassment.<br>"Oh! What an adorable kitty!" I explain to them the story behind my newfound friend, and add in that he won't stop his damn squirming. Celia ponders for a second, takes him out of the crook in my elbow, and places him near my right shoulder. He immediately crawls onto me and falls asleep. I stare at her. She smiles sheepishly.  
>"I had a cat like that when I was a kid. He'll probably always wanna be with you, 'cause he doesn't have a mommy…" She trails off, scratching Soul's ears with a distant look on her face.<br>Vesta steps up, gives me a hug, her luck, and a warning of what'll happen if I don't come back… It wasn't the worst threat I've gotten before, but it definitely wasn't the best.  
>I glance at Marlin. His turn.<br>I see Vesta exchange glances with Celia and Muffy, then abruptly (and loudly) ask if they could help her find something, to which they scurried into the house and closed the door… Which left us alone.  
>"So… This is it." He says after a few moments of silence. "I can't believe she actually went through with it," He adds bitterly.<br>I see a potential outburst threatening in his eyes. I take his face in my hands.  
>"Hey," I say softly. "I'm not leaving forever, okay? I'll be back to visit, Marlin. I don't know when, but I will." He looks at me.<br>Hell, he never trusts anyone.  
>His forehead lowers to touch mine; we're basically nose-to-nose. My hands are still holding his cheeks. To someone that's not native to Forget-Me-Not Valley, they'd think we were a couple. But a local knows better. Marlin's too hard-hearted to let anyone in, even though it's obvious he wants to. Vesta is always trying to get us together, even when she knows Mom won't let me have a 'significant other, as she calls it. Apparently, seventeen is too young. Of course, keep in mind that I'm still a minor, and Marlin is the legal age of 23. So, us legally dating is out of the question, until I'm 19.<br>He's still staring, still expecting something. I sigh softly, noticing out breath come out in little steam clouds. It's fucking freezing at the top of this hill. "I promise," I whisper. His eyes widen a bit. Promises are a big thing for Marlin. He takes them very seriously.  
>His breath hitches a bit, and he pulls me into a warm hug, resting his cheek on my forehead. I wrap my arms around his neck.<br>We stay like that for a minute or two. Then Soul gives a small mewl, then a split second later, the girls come out from the storehouse. Marlin's hands drop and he moves back, still quite close, but too far in the cold.  
>Vesta hands me two bags of turnip seeds. "Here," she says, holding them out to me, looking between me and Marlin, eyes twinkling. "Spring starts tomorrow, ya gotta-"<br>"-Plant yer seeds early," Marlin, Celia and I finish in monotone.  
>"I hope you have great crops this year!"Celia says happily. She gives me another hug and saunters off into the greenhouses.<br>"Make lotsa friends, and don't forget to write!" Vesta adds, and follows Celia.  
>"Care to join?" Muffy asks Marlin. He shrugs and follows us as we head towards the dig site.<br>My goodbyes to Carter and Flora were brief, after giving me a weird relic-like necklace and a complement on my cat. I loved the necklace, it was ancient and mysterious and detailed and beautiful. Flora gave me her hair ribbon when I asked, and I switched the simple silver chain with the emerald ribbon, and tied the relic around Soul's neck like a collar.  
>We were hurrying back over the bridge, when I remembered a very important goodbye.<br>"Hey, I'll meet you back here in 10 minutes, okay?" I only got questioning glances from the two of them before I rush off up the path to the Spring.  
>The first thing I did was approach Mukamuka. After a brief conversation (me, Jack and Gustafa are the only ones able to understand him—must be a kind of sixth sense), I pulled an orange out of my rucksack and gave it to him, where he jumped around ecstatically and gave me a bone-crushing hug.<br>When he lets me go, he points questioningly towards the Hollow Tree. I nod, and he agrees to watch Soul, who happily pounces on his head and falls asleep between his thick winter fur.  
>As I walk to the Tree, I look around for some Mushrooms. As I pick one up and take a few bites from it, I close my eyes and wish for the nausea and dizziness to pass. Suddenly, it stops. I open my eyes to see Nik, Nak and Flak crowding around me, Nik angry, Nak and Flak crying.<br>After promised wishes from them to watch over me (I don't know how, they're bound t the Valley by the Goddess), and promises from me to celebrate the Harvest, I hurry my way back down the hill, following the River, cat over my shoulder.  
>Muffy's sitting on the edge of the bank with her feet in the water. Marlin is standing close by, hands in his pockets, head down. His usual stature.<br>Marlin glances up at the sound of my jogging footsteps, and Muffy jumps out of the water and slips back into her heels.  
>"I don't know <em>how<em> you do that," I say, shaking my head. If it wasn't a running source, there'd be 6 inches of ice on that water.  
>"It's easy, babe!" She laughs. "I don't know how you aren't doing it either! It's invigorating, and it helps you keep a clear, focused mind. It's also great on the pores. And it makes your hair shiny. And it-" she stops herself when she sees me do a huge fake yawn. "You should try it at your new place!" She finishes happily.<br>"Will do," I say sarcastically. I have absolutely _no_ intention whatsoever on swimming in near-frozen rivers.  
>"Great!" She sings. Muffy doesn't understand the complexity of sarcasm. She's one of the smartest blondes I know, but sometimes she can still be a complete fucking ditz. "Then we'll go swimming <em>all<em> the time when you come back!"  
>She leans towards me. "By the way," she says sneakily, "The best way to go?" She winks at me. "<em>Naked<em>. Opens up your pores better that way." She nods knowingly as my mouth drops open and I look to see Marlin's face slowly turning pink. I scoff, but I can't hide my smile as I begin to walk faster, towards the square again.  
>*O*O*O*<br>After saying my goodbyes to Daryl (that crazy fucker better leave the cows alone while I'm gone), Kasey and Patrick (the coolest pair of twins I've ever met, and jack and I are pretty cool—but c'mon, you can't beat twins who make bombs!), and Cody (who promised to paint me something amazing for when I come back, but in the meantime, enjoy life's canvas), I had about 5 minutes left. As we walked over to the beach, I could see the boat, steadily getting bigger with each passing moment.  
>I'm speechless because the internal turmoil I'm having is telling me that if I open my mouth I'm puking up everything I've eaten in the past week. So I keep my damn mouth shut and watch the horizon.<br>Surprise, anger, sadness, excitedness, pain, and so many more emotions pang through my very being, all together. They're not mixing very well with my stomach, so I squat down and trace patterns into the sand with my finger.  
>As if he can sense my unease, Soul abruptly tries to stand up, but he clumsily falls into my lap. His legs are obviously still quite weak, but hey, he's still only a week old. He nuzzles my stomach and tries to curl up.<br>I hear the boat docking and I pick the kitten back up and sling him over my shoulder. I miserably stand up when I hear (what I think is) the captain's voice over the intercom say that we have another 20 minutes while the boat refuels.  
><em>Thank Goddess, I think. Another 20 minutes before the final goodbye.<em>

_So. I'd like to have at least 2 or 3 reviews to continue on this fanfiction. It's my first, so you have to bear with me on it. I'm one of the people who would rather wait a couple weeks for a couple-thousand word fic than have a 200-word one every third day. I _am_ open to pairing suggestions (there will be a few pairings) and plotline suggestions. I've typed up to chapter 3, and chapter 4 is in the making. I'll probably be only typing on weekends and days off (Holiday break soon= possibly more typing+chapters?)._

_So, bottom-line: 2 or 3 reviews so I can continue with this. Thanks for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed it!_

_xoSoul_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey! Soul! You said updates every few weeks, and multiple-thousand word ones to boot! What's this, because it seems to be neither!~**_

_Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up. Anyway, because I got so many reviews on that last one, I decided to post chapter three!_

_...But alas, chapter three was nowhere to be found. So I went to antisocial mode, locked myself in my room, and typed this up for you, my lovelies!_

'_Cept I'm not that proud of it. It's kinda stupid. And filler._

_So, I present to you: Chapter Three! [Told in Vaughn's perspective]_

_More on updates at the end of the story!_

_PLUS: A super big thanks to: Belimair, loveliecoraima, and WildWolfPup for reviewing my previous chapter(s)! You're forever amazing!_

Chapter Three: Did you come to stare, or...?

As I was resting on the deck of the boat, imagining the shit-ton of work Mirabelle probably has for me, all of a sudden, the boat's horn blares through my thoughts and I jump up, scrambling and cursing, over to the rails. _We can't be there already, _I think, confused. _I've only been on board for a half hour_. _Did we take a different route?_

Usually, the trip takes two hours, in good weather. I look over the railing and see a valley, and I can just make out the flags from the bazaar that's just past Mineral Town's Outskirts. Of course, No one goes there, except for hybrid crops that look fucked up and taste like shit, and random 'artefacts', which just look like dirty pieces of broken pottery and oversized tin coins.

_This must be the place this shit comes from._

As the boat nears the dock to the valley, I can't help but wonder,

_What the fuck am I doing here?_

As the boat docks, I hear the captain's voice come over through the intercom: "Please excuse the interruption, but because we have an extra stop on our agenda, we will be refuelling. This will take up to a half hour. Please be on board ten minutes prior. Thank you and I apologize for any inconvenience."

_Fuck! _I thought. _I have 20 goddess damn minutes to fuck around in some backwoods fuckin' nowhere town._

As I disembark from the boat, I notice a girl holding a suitcase. I tip my hat down over my face as I walk past them.

They must have heard the announcement, because I hear a gasp, and a female voice says kindly, "Hey, babe, let's go to the bar for one last drink, 'kay?"

_Of course this hicktown has a bar,_ I think bitterly. I decide to follow them at a distance, until I see the bar.

I glance up to see two girls and a guy walking up a hill towards a small cluster of houses. The blonde girl has her arm wrapped around the brunette girl, who's still holding her suitcase limply in her hand. The guy's arm is lingering near the brunette's, almost purposefully, as if he's well aware that their arms keep brushing, but he don't mind.

_What's with that?_ I think. _She's gotta be battin' for the other team, with a chick like that so casually hangin' off her waist. So why the fuck's this guy acting like he'd want nothing more than to get with her? Ah, what the fuck do I care. Everyone in this town's probably all related to each other, anyway. _I smirk.

As I'm following them onto a cobblestone path, I start to wonder how the tourists find shit here; nothing has a goddamn sign. I recall being her once, about a year ago, delivering a couple cows to a farm. I had tried to find out where said farm was, only to get lost because _there were no fucking signs anywhere._

_Oh right, _I remember. _These people don't _have_ any tourists._

I follow them into what must be the bar. I'm instantly greeted by a cool atmosphere and soft piano bar music playing quietly from somewhere. I think I relax a bit. Bars and diners have always had a relaxing effect on me, I don't know why. I slide onto a stool at the bar counter.

The blonde of the trio doesn't sit with the other two, but saunters behind the bar.

"Goddess dammit, Muffy," the guy says in a quiet voice. He runs a hand through his hair; it's an almost unnatural black colour. I say almost 'cause I know what it is to have weird-coloured hair. I'm twenty-one and my hair's as silver as a cow's bell. "Do you really have to work right now?" He says in an almost angry tone.

She simply ignores him as she starts mixing drinks. I take the opportunity to see she's not bad lookin'. The way she dresses is a bit questionable, though. It's winter and she's wearing a tight, V-neck dress that stops mid-thigh. She could probably get some whenever she wants, why's she puttin' out so bad? And don't she have the brunette as a girl? Who lets their…_partner_ dress so whorey?

Once she's served her friends, she turns to me and leans on the bar, displaying a great deal of cleavage. "What can I get _you_?" She asks, somewhat seductively, emphasizing the 'you'. I notice the brunette roll her eyes at the guy, who chuckles softly.

"You got a menu?" I ask bluntly. She looks a bit stunned for a second, then starts naming off drinks and what's in 'em.

I can't help but smirk as I realize how much of a Podunk town this is—the customers here are such regulars they've memorized what their choices are.

I settle for a Stone Oil, whatever the fuck that is, and muse about being stuck here.

When the blonde brings me my drink, I grab it and throw some coins on the table. She counts them and slides a few back to me.

_Man, _I think. _Shit's cheap here._

When I take a mouthful, I almost gag at how strong the alcohol content is in this drink. I swallow the whole mouthful, and it burns like a motherfucker the whole way down.

I could swear I heard the blonde laugh softly as she walked away, as if she was expecting such a reaction. I glowered at her retreating body as she leaned against the bar where her friends were. A small kitten crawls off the brunette's shoulder onto the counter.

I took another drink, smaller this time. I felt like drinking too much of this too fast would put me on the floor just as fast as a kick from a spirited colt would.

I decided to listen in to their conversation; there was nothing better to do anyway.

"…Can't believe you actually _left_ to work," the guy says, obviously still pissed. "It's her last day here and all you care about is _making money._ You're unbelievable."

"Fuck off, Marlin," The blonde snaps, her voice sharp like a tack. "I care about making money so I can possibly buy a boat ticket to visit her sometime. If you cared about her even half as much as I did, you'd do the same. So don't you _dare_ tell me I'm unbelievable, cause I'll show you unbelievable when I stick your winter crops up your as-"

"Guys," The brunette says, so softly I almost didn't hear her.

I glance over. The blonde's face was angry, eyes like daggers towards the noirette. His face, equally angry, was red, eyes smouldering; though, his expression did hold a bit of pain, as if something she said hit where it hurt. The brunette, in the middle of it all, was looking down, sipping her drink, giving the impression that she'd like nothing more than to melt into the bar. The guy opened his mouth, probably to utter a harsh rebuttal, when the brunette lays a hand on his arm.

"Please." She almost whispers it this time; she looks exhausted and close to tears.

The blonde still looks pissed, but her posture looses most of its rigidity, and she's stopped looking like a cat that's about to tear your face up. The guy nods, and he looks away from the blonde, eyes clearing up a bit, his face still flushed with anger.

Suddenly, the door to the bar bursts open. I have to do a double-take when I notice the brunette's seemed to have run into the bar, with shorter hair and different clothes, panting like he's ran a marathon. I then realize she's got a twin.

"Jack!" she exclaims, shock showing clear as day on her face. "W-wh-what are you-"

Her twin puts a hand up, as if to stop her from talking. He takes a couple of deep gulps of air, trying to regain his breath.

"Ross," he pants, and I notice how alike even their _voices_ are. "Realized….boat's… not gone yet. Thinks yer… tryin'… to stay here… on his way now… fast as I could… he's… fuckin' _livid_!"

They spring into action just as a man walks into the bar. I'm expecting all hell to break loose, but the blonde cries, "Griffin!" just as he urgently says, "Hurry!"

He grabs the brunette quickly by the shoulders and steers her to into a back room. He pushes her in, saying, "Hide, just in case. He might try to get in." She nods, pupils dilated in fear, like a cornered animal.

The noirette grabs her bags and throws them to the older man, who shoves them in the back room with her. The blonde grabs the brunette's all but untouched drink and downs it in one, then casts it under the bar counter. I hear the crunching shatter of glass breaking, but it seems everyone else is too scared to care.

As everyone in the bar attempts to regain some composure, I wonder what the fuck these hicks are so afraid of that they've got their tails between their legs like frightened dogs.

Suddenly I'm aware of the brunette's kitten clumsily attempting to walk on the bar's counter. Its legs seem to give out when it reaches where I'm sitting, about two feet away from where it started. It stares at me fixedly as I take another drink.

I realize it's only been two mouthfuls and I'm already starting to get a buzz out of this drink.

The older man's head retreats from a curtained window. He curses softly, a sighed "fuck," just the door is thrown open with such force I thought the hinges would break.

"Where th' Hell is she," a man says from the doorway, staring down the noirette. He reminds me of the Carpenter, but uglier, if that's possible. I can also tell he's not the same mood-wise as he is. 'Least the guy on the island's got a good heart.

"Where the fuck is she, boy, I know yer hidin' her sumwh-"

"Ross," The older man says. "If you can't keep a civilized tongue in _my_ bar with _my_ patrons, I'm going to have to ask you to lea-"

"Stay the Hell outta this, Griffin," the big guy growls. He rounds on the blonde, who looks like a frightened rabbit, she's shakin' so damn much.

She takes a deep breath, however, and stands tall to him. She doesn't even reach his shoulder.

They're both looking like they'd love nothing more than to beat the shit out of each other, each pair of eyes filled with utmost loathing. He glares at her a few seconds more, then realizes she's not about to tell him anything 'cept where he can go. He mutters something that sounds like "Useless brat," then turns and leaves, slamming the door shut.

The bar owner peers out the curtained window. "He's coming back," he mutters, confusion in his voice.

The brunette's twin leaps over the bar counter, nearly missing the blonde.

"Goddess!" she yelps, moving to avoid a boot to the face.

The bar's door crashes open again. "Where's the boy?" the brute says in a gravelly voice.

"Jack?" The bar owner asks. "Haven't seen him today. Must be up in mineral…" he trails off, opening the curtain and looking up the hill towards the bazaar.

"Hmph." The burly man walks out, this time leaving the door ajar.

_Buncha hicks this town has, _I think bitterly. I go to take another mouthful of drink, when I realize it's gone. The twins emerge from their hiding spots as the blonde takes my glass.

"Another?" she asks, not looking at me, eyes misty. I shake my head, and she somehow notices.

The noirette sighs heavily and runs both hands through his hair and over his face.

I glance up at a clock above the bar. I should be fucking boarding right now, not dicking around in some hick town, getting into other people's bullshit.

I get up and tip my hat over my face as I leave.

I'm walking down the hill towards the boat when I hear a door open, followed by the footsteps of what sounds like 3 people.

_I can't wait, _I think, alcohol getting me a little fired up, _until I'm rid of these goddess-damned hicks and their back-ass-wards fucking town. Just get me to my Aunt's so I can get away from this bullshit._

_I know. It was bad. I made Vaughn UNBELIVABLY out of character, didn't I? But tell me what you think, it keeps me happy! Constructive criticism is a good thing!_

_So, about updates: I'm still in the process of writing out chapter 4, so I haven't started typing it even, yet._

_Oh, and it's so damn long I'm probably going to have to section it :/_

_And it's a REALLY busy week; I'm unable to type until probably Sunday, so... Sorry in advance._

_BUT...! My Holiday starts the 23__rd__. But I'm going on vacation then.*racks brain for when I could type* AHA! The plane ride to where I'm going. That's when I'll type._

_Pretty Please keep reviewing, it puts a smile on my face for at least two days!_

_Here's a fun Fact! All chapter titles are lyrics, can you guess them? Special prize if you do! (Great, now I have to think of a prize... I'll get to that later.)_

_Fun Fact #2! I'm a huge procrastinator, so no reviews= no motivation=no writing=no updates! So reviews are important!_

_And again, if you have any plot suggestions or pairings (in Sunshine islands/IoH/Another wonderful Life) that you'd like to see, please share! I'll definitely consider it!_

_Thanks _SO_ much for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon!_

_xoSoul_

_PS. If you could be sweethearts and, when (or if) you review, tell me who'd you like to see paired most with her, guy or girl. Just a quick name. Except Elliot and Sabrina. Neither of them will come an inch near my smut stories. I'm sorry. And tell me who you'd least like to see paired with her. It doesn't mean I'll follow through with your opinion, because I have some pairings in my head already, but I'll maybe make it sooner or later than I would have originally. So: who you want (guy or girl), who you don't want, and (if you want to) why on both of them._

_Okay! Now I'm done. (For now.)_

_Soul Out!_


	4. Chapter 4a

_A/N: Lovely readers! it's been so long (At least in my eyes- Thirty days!)! I trust you've been well!  
>As always, chapter first, news second! Enjoy!<span>_

_As Always, an Immense Thank-you to Belimair, loveliecoraima, and WildWolfPup for the Fantastic reviews!  
><em>

Chapter 4(a): Your time has passed; they say never means never...

As we followed the cowboy down the slope towards the beach, I couldn't help but think. This is the last time I'll see everyone until… Goddess, probably Winter Reunion.  
>I think about all that could happen until early winter of next year… so many missed parties, jokes lost, forgotten bar fights over the prettiest girl, midnight skinny-dipping in the Spring's pond, or the river, or the ocean, even flower gathering in the seasons.<br>I can't seem to stop thinking about what I'll miss, and when I get to the boat, I stop dead in my tracks.  
>I watch the cowboy walk aboard and sit on a chair on the deck, and promptly pull his hat over his face and lean backwards.<br>"C'mon, sweetie, time to get on," Muffy says gently, but I can hear her voice catching in her throat.  
>Marlin is as impassive as ever, and when he softly puts a hand on my shoulder to try and get me on the boat, I realize the gravity of the situation and what's actually happening and my breath hitches and this is it and it's real, it's real and it's actually happening and I feel warm all over and this is goodbye and my legs go soft and jelly and this is it, this is it, and the world goes black and I feel the ground rush up to meet me.<p>

Vaughn  
>I hear someone grunt, a girl squeal, and a kitten mewl, all in the same second. I tilt my hat up my head to see that quiet guy… Marlo? Was that his name? Whatever, but he's holding up a limp brunette while the blonde hastily scrambles to grab the dropped suitcase and kitten lying on the sand.<br>"Five minutes until we're off," came the captain's voice over the intercom.  
>"Fuck," I hear the blonde hiss as she grabs the kitten by the scruff and holds him as little as what seems necessary.<br>I watch the guy easily lift the brunette into his arms and carry her onto the boat. The blonde's right behind him with the brunette's things.  
>He walks over towards me and he gently sets her on to the chair beside me. He takes the bag off her back and leans her head on the plastic head rest. Blondie sets the suitcase down and drops the kitten with a relieved expression on his face.<br>She walks over to the unconscious girl and with a loving look in her eyes, strokes her hair and kisses her cheek. Woah. They didn't look like the kind to swing that way. The blonde was too… Seductive towards other guys. Fuck, whatever. She hangs her head sadly as she walks off the boat.  
>I expect to see the guy follow her off, but I look up to see him staring at me, almost timid-like, as if he's not accustomed to talking to people. Like me, sort of.<br>I decide to see what he wants.  
>"What?" I glare, and he looks shocked for a second, before he regains composure and quickly explains the situation to me in a quiet voice.<br>He finishes by asking me, "Could you help me by making sure she gets to Sunshine Islands okay? I have a feeling that she might want to jump out of the boat if she comes to before she arrives."  
>I agree, but only because I pity the guy, he's so goddamn infatuated with the girl.<br>As the captain comes over to check the tickets again, he's slowly jogging off the deck, calling, "I owe ya one, I really do!"  
>When the captain goes to check for the unconscious girl's ticket, I can't help but shrug my shoulders as to where it is. Then I see something crumpled into a tight ball in her hand. As I reach over to take it from her closed hand, the kitten jumps into my lap. He kinda calms my nerves of having to make sure some random dude's crush doesn't commit suicide.<br>As I pass the uncrumpled ticket to the captain, I glance at the name printed on its front. It's quite an unoriginal name, but as I fall asleep to the sound of waves from the ocean and purrs from the cat, I can't help but think of how closed off from the world she was.  
>As I drift off into a light doze, I can't help her name from running across my mind once more, but also thinking,<br>Welcome to the real world, Chelsea.

I wake up about 2 minutes prior to the boat docking. I give the kitten one last pat, and put it on the girl's lap. Shit, I think. She's still out cold. That's when I notice a weird charm around the kitten's neck. It looks like someone dug somethin' old from a dumpster and tied it around its neck. What the fuck.  
>Once the boat docks, I grab my bag and quickly get off the boat, not bothering to check on the brunette. She's safe, she's at the islands. My job's done.<br>I see Taro waiting. He must be waiting for her. As soon as he sees me, he says briskly, "Ah! Vaughn! Good to see you in good health. Now, did you happen to see a-"  
>"Chick's unconscious on the deck. Has been since setting off. Might be who yer lookin' for." And with that, not bothering to give him her name, I tip my hat to him and walk off to Mirabelle's as he calls someone over to help him. I don't bother to look back to see who it is. Like I said, my job's done.<p>

I wake up in a daze. Keeping my eyes shut, I begin to wonder where I am, and suddenly everything rushes back. Griffin always told us to never drink a Stone Oil when you're under stress. It's almost the equivalent to booze and meds taken together.  
>Am I still home?<br>Did Marlin and Muffy bring me back?  
>"Muffy?" I call out blindly. My voice is hoarse and cracked, like I haven't talked in a long time… I sound like a chain smoker. I try to sit up, but gentle hands push me back down.<br>"Lie down, dear, you're still recovering," a soft, motherly voice says. Motherly voice…Chris? It doesn't sound like Chris, but that's the only person I know who doesn't have a teenager, she has an 8-year old who's doted on by the town because he's the youngest kid there.  
>"C-Chris?" I mumble, trying to sit up again, knowing it's not her, but that doesn't stop my heart from shattering.<br>I start to feel dizzy, and I keep my eyes closed. I feel a rush of exhaustion wash over me and I fall limply back onto my pillow. I hear a chair scrape across the floor and footsteps coming closer.  
>"She'll be fine, hon," the voice says. "I have a feeling she's fully awake now… She's just hiding."<br>I'm shocked. How can she be right? Well, the gig's up. Time to face my fate.  
>I slowly open my eyes. I'm greeted by a smiling lady, probably in her early thirties. Her hair is pink. Fucking wicked.<br>"How are you feeling, dear?" She asks. You can see the concern etched into her face.  
>I nod and rasp dryly, "Water?"<br>Her eyes widen. "Oh! Gosh, I forgot, you haven't had anything to drink!" She turns away from me and I close my eyes again. Fuck I'm tired. "Would you get her some water, hon?"  
>Footsteps (whom I assume belong to who she was talking to earlier) fade, like they're going into a different room, then return a few moments later.<br>"Here," a gentle, timid, male voice says and I open my eyes to see a man, no more than a few years my senior, looking at me concernedly, holding a glass of water out for me.  
>I smile gratefully and quickly take the water. As I drink I look at him. He's probably around 5'9 or 5'10, and he had blonde hair to the base of his neck, and it was unkempt and a bit flyaway, but it seems to frame his face nicely. The most interesting thing about him, though, is his eyes. They were a bit big, like a child's eyes. They gave a sort of cutesy look about him, but the coolest thing is that they were a deep fuchsia.<br>I've only seen a colour like that once before, and it was when Carter called for me to come look at something he dug up. It was an ancient lost artefact, and he trusted me to go sell it for him. When I took it to the monthly auction, it was sold for 50,000G. To say that the colour brought back memories would be an understatement.  
>He seems to be wearing simple purple-striped pants, and a matching button-up shirt. I glance over at the woman and see that she's wearing a housecoat. It's probably past midnight. They must be concerned, to give up their rest for me.<br>I tilt my glass up higher to get the last dregs of water, and in doing so, the sleeve of my button-up falls to my elbow.  
>Someone gasps. I think it was him, but I'm too busy pulling the sleeve back down over my arm to figure out who it was for sure.<br>I feel like there's an awkward tension, but maybe that's just me.  
>Now that I'm (more or less) properly hydrated, I begin to ask, how long have I-" before I can finish my question, the lady cuts me off.<br>"You've been out for a while, from what Vaughn's told us, since the boat picked you up?" I nod. That's when everything goes black. I'll worry about who Vaughn is later. She continues. "Until just now… In total, about two and a half days."  
>My jaw drops. I'm about to question more when my stomach gives that 'I-just-realized-I-haven't-eaten-in-three-fucking-days' growl. The lady looks at my stomach with a look of amusement and unsurprised.<br>The blonde walks back towards me, and takes the cup from my hand with slender fingers.  
>"You'll get her something, then?" the lady asks. He nods, and hurries out of the room with my glass.<br>"You really don't have to-" I begin, when she cuts me off (yet again) with a serious look.  
>"Dear, you haven't eaten in near three days, and you've been unconscious all this time! I assure you, you're no bother at all, and I'm making sure you're under someone's care until I deem you 100% healthy!" I nod, trying to look like I've had this kind of attention from a total stranger before.<br>I lean back, and soon enough, he's back with a bowl of stew. He hands it to me on a tray.  
>"Thank you," I say gratefully, I'm just realizing how fucking starved I feel right now.<br>I start to eat, and I'm aware that this soup is probably the most amazing thing I've ever eaten in my entire life.  
>"This is wonderful!" I say aloud. The blonde looks up in surprise, and I look at the lady. "Did you make this?"<br>She laughs, and it's something melodic, like when Griffin takes out his guitar and shows me and Muffy his newest tune. She shakes her head and says cheerfully, "Oh, no. I could never make something like this as good as Pierre does."  
>I give her a blank look. I don't know who the fuck Pierre is. She seems to realize that.<br>"Oh! I forgot! You're new here! Well, I'm Felicia, dear," she says with a smile, "and this is Pierre," she motions to the blonde standing quietly near the door, twirling my glass in his hands. "He's the one that brought you off the boat when you arrived…" Her face goes dark. "Since Vaughn couldn't have the decency to be a gentleman for once in his life." Pierre goes slightly pink, and ducks out of the room with my glass.  
>"Also," she says, leaning towards me and saying in a sly undertone, "He hasn't left your bedside until he was sure you were all right. He's only left to clean himself up and get changed. He's a sweet boy, you know." I think I turn slightly pink myself, and I'm about to ask why he's so concerned, but he's back in the room with more water.<br>I take the water and in exchange give him my empty bowl. I look at him. He meets my eyes. "It was really good," I say earnestly. "Thanks."  
>He blushes a deep red and hurries out the room again.<br>After finishing my water, Felicia takes the glass from my hands and says kindly, "Now, sweetheart, why don't you rest up? Maybe in the morning you can meet the rest of the town!" I nod, and settle back on my pillows.  
>Within minutes, I'm asleep.<br>*O*O*O*  
>When I wake up well rested, several hours later, the first thing I see is Pierre, sleeping peacefully in a chair by the bed. It must be at least mid-morning.<br>As I sit up and begin to stretch, he starts to stir. I quickly pull my sleeves down over my arms. His arms are open, though, and I think he saw me. Fuckin' guy has the worst timing. he doesn't call me on it, though, and for that, I'm grateful.  
>"Morning!" he says, and I'm startled to find an accent covering his happy tone.<br>Felicia rushes in. "Oh! You're awake! Terrific! Let's start the day!" and with that, she's bustling around, bringing me my suitcase and rucksack from somewhere outside of the room.  
>I freeze. "Where's my cat?" I ask, suddenly scared that my gift from Romana is gone.<br>"He's at my house," Pierre chirps. "We can stop over and get him when you're ready."  
>…Ready?<br>"For what?" I ask blankly.  
>"Pierre's going to introduce you around town,"Felicia says simply, helping me out of bed. I'm still in the clothes I was in when I left the Valley, save for my shoes.<br>She puts my suitcase on the bed and opens it, picking out clothes. All of a sudden, she stops, then turns around and starts pushing Pierre out of the room. After telling him to go get himself ready, she closes the door on in his face and rounds on me.  
>"Really, Felicia, I can dress myself!" I say, smiling.<br>"Are you sure, dear?" But she's letting me nudge her out of the room.  
>"Absolutely," I say kindly; I don't want to have to be babied my first day awake!<br>I close the door on her and Pierre (who's still standing there trying to ask Felicia questions), and quickly dress. I grab a yellow tank top and a pair of jeans and pull them on. I don't look at my torso as I get into my shirt. I hesitate, then sigh and pull the button-up back on over my shoulders.  
>The bruises are a sickening mixture of blacks, purples, blues, yellows and browns.<br>There's no chance in Hell I'm letting my new neighbours see that shit.  
>I'm about to open the door when I remember Jack's-well, I guess it's mine now, though- bandana. I fish it out of my previously worn jeans and wrap it around my head. I pick up my things and head to the door.<br>As soon as I open the door, Felicia comes running out of another room. "All dressed, dear? Ready to meet the town?"  
>I gulp and nod, words unable to form on my tongue, or even in my brain, for that matter.<br>"Come, dear, get some food." She leads me into the kitchen where I'm met by two other people.  
>I stare blankly at the people assembled at the table. Felicia steps in and says, "I'd like you to meet my son, Elliot," pointing to a guy who looks at least a few years older than me, though he's still quite baby-faced. His hair is an unusual orangey-pink colour, and his chocolate eyes are covered with round-rimmed glasses. He's muscular, but not by much and he still looks quite lanky and I have a strong feeling that I could take him out easily if I wanted to. I smile and nod at him. He blushes.<br>Goddess, and I thought I was shy around strangers of the opposite sex.  
>The girl who's sitting across from him scoffs and rolls her eyes. She leans over the table and hits him on the head.<br>"Idiot!" she says, sitting back down.  
>"And this," Felicia says, motioning to the girl, "is my daughter, Natalie."<br>I smile at her, and she beams back. She has a smile near identical to her mother's. Her hair is also just like Felicia's, a lucid pink, only she has it cropped to her cheekbones, and put back with a headband. Her eyes were the same soft chocolate brown as her brother's, although they looked like they could get angry very quickly.  
>I'm shocked at Felicia, though. Her kids were no more than a few years older than me (even though Natalie looked my age), but she looked so young! I thought about it. She had tgo be at least 35, but that put her age at having her first child at 16. It didn't seem likely, but I couldn't rule out any possibilities.<br>Natalie pats the chair beside her. "Come sit, Rancher."  
>I sit down, then look at her and ask, "What's a Rancher?"<br>"My Goddess, she talks!" Natalie exclaims.  
>I scowl and rest my head on the table; it's dimly starting to throb.<br>"Hey…" She says softly. "I was kidding, all right? It's just, we don't know anything about you and you've been living in our house for three days." I lift my head a bit to glance at her. "Hell, we don't even know your name!"  
>Felicia gasps. "Natalie! Watch your tongue," She says sharply.<br>"Well, we don't!" She says exasperatedly.  
>Felicia seems to realize that. "You're right! What's your name, sweetheart?"<br>Everyone looks at me. They throbbing in my head intensifies. "My…my name's Chelsea."  
>"Huh. Weird name. Never met a Chelsea before," Natalie Smiles.<br>"Well," I attempt to joke, "Ya have now!" She laughs; whether it's at the attempted joke or my Valley accent, I can't be too sure, but I can tell that Natalie'll be a good friend.  
>"Kids, where's your grandfather?" Felicia suddenly asks.<br>"The Ranch," Elliot pipes up. "With Gannon and Eliza, and I'm not sure, but I think Mirabelle might have gone for a few minutes… Checking the... uh. Yeah," He mumbles, not finishing the sentence and glancing at me.  
>"It's that bad?" Felicia asks anxiously.<br>Before he could answer, though, Pierre walks in, not bothering to knock. Just like we do in the Valley.  
>He's out of his pyjamas, and he's wearing a casual purple suit, with a red bow tie. He's also sporting a matching purple top hat. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it's actually quite cute on him.<br>"Ready to go?" He smiles. I nod and stand up, slinging my rucksack over my shoulder and picking up my suitcase. Pierre rushes over and takes the suitcase from my hands and carries it for me. "We can drop this stuff off at my house, if you'd like," Pierre says. "While we go pick up your cat."  
>"Yeah, sounds good," I murmur. I can't wait to see Soul, I miss my kitten so bad.<br>When we walk out of the house, I'm surprised to find about a foot and a half of snow still covering the ground. Usually, on the first day of spring, the snow disappears in the Valley. It's usually the Harvest Spites who make it go away faster, and we're about (at least) three days into spring. What the Hell happened?  
>We walk south of Felicia's house until we reach a large house with a purple roof. Pierre fishes a small set of keys out of his pocket and hastens forward to unlock the front door.<br>I shiver; I didn't think I'd need a fucking jacket this time of year… 'Course, I never used one in the valley, but at least the lay of the land offered some protection from the wind; here, it's all open breeze from the ocean.  
>Pierre pushes open the door. "After you," he murmurs, holding open the door.<br>I walk into (what I can feel is) an open, airy room. Pierre follows me in, closing the door and plunging us into darkness. I hear his hand groping the wall, trying to locate the light switch in the dark.  
>Suddenly, the lights switch on, and bright lights illuminate a large, organized kitchen. The only thing unorganized were the post-it notes strewn about with writing scrawled, almost as if it was written quickly, along very nearly every inch of the note.<br>Pierre sets my suitcase down, and walks over to the fridge. He begins to pile things onto the counter. I set my rucksack down beside my suitcase.  
>"Did you have breakfast?" He asks, turning to look at me.<br>I shake my head, drinking in the size and grandeur of his kitchen.  
>"Me neither. Let's have some before we head to Chen's, then?" He smiles, chopping onions. He must notice me looking around, because he asks, "What's wrong?"<br>I blink slowly, then look back at him. "Your kitchen," I say. "It's so… big and….awesome and… big."  
>He laughs. "I built the kitchen plan myself. I asked Gannon to build me a house fitting of a Gourmet."<br>"…Gourmet…?"  
>"Mhmm. My whole family consists of World-Class Gourmets!"<br>"Really? Then what's with all the cookbooks?" I had always thought 'Gourmets' never needed cookbooks; they had their recipes memorized.  
>"Of Course! A Gourmet's knowledge must be peerless! My training never ends!"<br>"So you read recipes… for fun?" I sit down in one of the chairs at his square kitchen table.  
>His face acquires a somewhat uncomfortable look. His cheeks become slightly coloured as he starts to break eggs and mix the cut vegetables with it, then pour it into a frying pan.<br>"Uh… Well…"  
>"Me too!" I say brightly. His self-conscious demeanor quickly fades, along with the pink in his cheeks.<br>"What?"  
>"I love reading cookbooks. Every recipe inspires me to make something new."<br>His face brightens as he sets an omelet in front of me. "In that case, you're welcome to read any cookbook of mine you can find!"  
>I hum contentedly as I take a bite of omelet. The flavors are incredible.<br>"What's wrong?" He asks, noticing that I've stopped chewing.  
>"This is amazing!" I exclaim, taking another bite.<br>He chuckles as I take another, larger mouthful. "Glad you like it."  
>We eat in silence, probably out of courtesy because, as Pierre probably noticed, my mouth was so full it would render me incapable of providing a proper answer; unless I wound up spitting food all over the tablecloth.<br>Once we've finished, Pierre picks up our plates and puts them in a large dishwasher. As he closes it, he looks up at a clock on the wall. The hour hand points to the 10.  
>"Shall we go then, to meet the town?" He asks, looking at me curiously.<br>I nod slightly, and begin to look around more.  
>"Where's… Where's my cat?"<br>"Cat…? Oh! Over here," He says, leading me over to a counter with a woven bread basket covered by a purple and white checkered cloth. He removed the cloth to reveal Soul sleeping contentedly inside, a small sauce dish containing milk beside him. "I remember hearing once that cats liked milk… I wasn't sure what to do with him, to be quite honest." He rubs the back of his head ineptly, and gives me a what-can-ya-do smile.  
>I smile gratefully and pick the kitten up tenderly and cuddle him for a few moments, closing my eyes and breathing in the slight, lingering scent of Romana's perfume that hasn't entirely worn off yet.<br>"Thank you," I sigh into Soul's fur.  
>After a few moments, Pierre asks again, "Shall we…?"<br>I smile and sling Soul over my shoulder. He purrs, as if in agreement. It makes me feel a bit more confident about what's to come.  
>"Yes, Let's."<p>

_

_Did you like it? I'm rather proud of it, Myself._  
><em><span>I have a few things to mention, so, First off:<br>1) Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Joyous Kwanza! And if you don't happen to celebrate any of these Holidays, I hope you had wonderful, regular days between the 20th of December and the 1st of January.  
>2) Happy New year! I wish you all the best of luck towards 2012. And if you don't happen to celebrate New Year's, Why the fuck not? It's a marvelous excuse to party without consequences, so you should start Celebrating!<br>3) I've actually had to split this chapter. I have eleven and a half pages of looseleaf, ALL chapter four. That's approximately 23 pages for one chapter. and I'm STILL writing. This sole piece of chapter was probably about 3 sheets (six pages). Or more. I don't really know and I'm not really inclined to go fucking find 'em. So, This shall be named Chapter 4a.  
>4) Exams are near upon me, with a fortnight to go until they attempt to gouge my eyes out. But, lucky for me (and to you as well, readers!), I shall have an <span>_amazing_ five day weekend, to which I shall type like I never have typed before!  
>5) I'm going to be a bitch now and ask something of you, my lovelies: For a new chapter, I'm asking for two(2) or three (3) reviews for each Chapter. I honestly don't think it's <span>_THAT_ much to ask of you; and, like I've said before, I don't want to be poppin' out chapters like a rabbit does babies and realize they've gotten oh-so terrible that no one's reading them anymore. Plus, each time I get a review, my whole day is amazing and once I get home I start typing like a motherfucker. As an added bonus, you get a shoutout!  
>6) One more thing: As I'm writing this chapter 4 in paper, I seem to be running out of plot... and it's turning into fluff. Lots of fucking fluff. I have a plan for a plot twist, but i need something to fill in the gap between the 'now' and the 'then'. If ANYONE can help me with ideas, I'd love you forever, more than I do now for you reading (and possibly reviewing). Please, don't hesitate to PM me and give me an idea. No idea is stupid, and all will be taken into consideration. if it's not used now, it might be later. Because right now, my plot's spiraling downwards and I'm getting a bit stressed as to how I'll be able to fix it.<br>7 (Holy Shit I'm talkative.)) Again, if you haven't (or if you would like to again, in case I've forgotten), Write me, either PM or Review, who you'd like to see our protagonist paired with romantically (a nicer way to say 'sexually'). Guy or Girl, I'll try my best. Don't leave out the Another wonderful Life Characters, I might bring them back in later chapters ;) Except, again, for Elliot and Sabrina. They piss me off to no extent. So yes, for all the anti-Vaughns, there might just be a scene between them. Sorry, but that's how the game's played. But I have noticed a lack of other character Pairings, so you can expect a variety to try and make up for it. That I can Guarantee.  
>8(Almost done, Promise!)) I'm just thinking these up as I go along, sorry if you're bored by now. If you can find any grammatical errors in my text, please tell me. There's nothing I hate more than bad spelling (actually, there probably is, but it's up there on the list!).<span>_

_*Sigh*... Okay... I'm done. I'm so sorry if you read through all that thinking,"How much does this chick write?" But if you've read all through that, you don't even know the respect I have for you right now._

_Thanks for reading... Until Next time, Lovelies!_

_xoSoul_


	5. Chapter 4b

_Hey guys! How are you? I had a snow day last Friday and typed this sexy little number up! So here it is, the next part to Chapter Four's installment! As always, News below!_

_And how could we forget the Thank-yous?_

_Belimair and loveliecoraima, Thank you! You're both wonderful!_

_I do not own Harvest Moon. Also, DOWN WITH SOPA!_

**Chapter 4b: And I believe... This may call for a proper introduction...**

_Told in Chelsea's perspective, by the way!_

"Chen?" Pierre calls. "It's me, I'm here with the new rancher, she's a lot better!"

I suddenly hear quick, light footsteps coming from the back of the shop. Seconds a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ten-year old comes bounding out of the back room.

"Hi, Pierre!" he chirps. He looks at me. "Hey, Lady!"

"Charlie, this is Chelsea," Pierre explains. "She'll be the new rancher in town now that Pop's... erm..._gone_." I smile at the nickname; my grandfather's always insisted that everyone call him that.

"Where's your father?" Pierre asks.

"Oh, he went to town to get some buckwheat and other supplies we were runnin' low on," Charlie explains. "Won't be back 'till later."

"And you're... Here by yourself?" Pierre asks, somewhat disbelievingly.

"Well..." The boy looks down guiltily. "I'm supposed to be with Gannon and Eliza..."

"And why aren't you?" he says it like he's trying to scold him, but he can't seem to pull it off.

"Well...Gannon sometimes scares me."

"I guess that's understandable," Pierre says, giggling. "But that doesn't mean he's a bad guy; you know that. They're waiting for you, I imagine, now go!"

I smile as the boy smiles and nods and rushes out of the store, black hair bobbing and headband flying behind him.

"He's really a good kid," Pierre says as we watch him go. "Chen's raised him by himself for a good eight years, and he's grown to be a healthy, happy ten-year old. He never really knew his mother, Charlie. Chen showed up here about eight years ago, apparently- I've only been here myself for about two and a half- Wifeless, he was, with a little baby crawling on him. Charlie's been helping Chen with the shop since he could talk; now he's planning on becoming a shopkeep like his father." He smiles. "I've never seen her before, but I'd suspect he looks more like his mother... Except his hair. He's got Chen's hair."

I smile too as Pierre closes the shop door, and we continue walking.

"This is the animal shop," Pierre says to me, right before we walk into the building beside Chen's.

After meeting Mirabelle and her daughter (who are both sweethearts, though Julia's a bit on the talkative side), we head across the bridge to another island Pierre calls 'Sprout'.

By mid-afternoon we had met Carol, the Innkeeper, Halia, the owner of the café, the corporate boss Regis, his daughter Sabrina, the ex-pop star Lanna, and Denny, the fisherman.

I have to say, I was a bit confused after meeting Denny. The way he looked at me made me feel like a cornered animal. He was really hot, though, I'll give him that. He asked me to lunch, but before I could even answer, Pierre was borderline _dragging_ me out me out the place, giving excuses about how there's more people I need to meet. I stammer out a goodbye just as the door shuts. I glance up at Pierre as we leave. _Goddess damn, he's tall. Either that, or I'm shorter than I thought._ His jaw is set, and a slight frown lingers on his mouth. I don't ask him about what just happened.

We walk to a house that smells strongly like Kasey and Patrick's abode. Pierre goes to open the door, and I hear a soft _click_ as he turns the handle.

"_Damn_," he says. "They must still be at the Ranch."

I perk up. "That's where I'll be staying, right?" I'm a bit eager to see what it's like living in a house by myself.

"Uh. Yeah. That's right... " he trails off, looking uneasy.

"Pierre? What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, nothing! Ah... Have we met everyone? Yes, I think so..." he says it all very quickly, as if he's trying to drop the previous subject. He begins to walk back the way we came, but I grab his hand. "Hey, you can tell me, all right? What's wrong?" Pierre looks down at my hand clasping his, and he blushes a deep red.

"Wel- well, w-we should go back and-and let Taro and Gannon explain- they'll probably be back at Taro's by n-now," he manages to stammer out, and I let go of his hand and our walk back to Taro's is in silence.

*O*O*O*

When we arrive at Felicia's House, Pierre holds the door open for me. I give him a faint smile and walk in.

I'm instantly greeted by what looks damn-near close to a party, because there are so many people inside the house. Felicia, along with Elliot, were in the kitchen, Felicia near the stove setting a timer, and her son sitting at the table. In the main room, however, Charlie and a girl about his age sat giggling on the floor, Natalie stood near a corner while she watched what was going on in the middle of the room.

Two men I've never met are there—an old man in what's gotta be his mid-to-early-sixties (but who looks healthy as a horse), talking in an almost angrily animated fashion, stomping his feet and shaking his head.

I glance over to the other man. He's a gruff-looking guy and I think I take a step back to regain my balance because I'm almost immediately thinking of Ross.

I swear to Goddess I must be cowering, or I at least look like I'm about to shit myself, because Pierre puts his hand on my shoulder in an almost feather-like gesture and says softly, "Come on, once you meet him, you'll be surprised."

I don't say anything to that, not only because I don't have an answer, but because I'm now sure that he _was_ the one who saw my arms earlier.

I tug at the sleeves of the button-up, feeling somewhat ashamed at my stupidity for letting the bruises show.

I'm still mentally cursing myself as Pierre leads me into the main room towards the accumulated people.

The old man's still raging at the other, who, in all honesty, looks like he's bored and merely waiting for the old man to shut up.

"… can't _believe_ this happened, we'll have to do something extra to make up for it, the whole place is utterly _ruined_, and-"

"Taro," Pierre cuts in timidly, "Shouldn't you be explaining this whole ordeal to the one who will be most affected by it?" He glances at me, then back at who I now know as Taro.

"Oh! It's you! You're well, I assume? Good. Well. Here's the problem. Have you noticed how the snow's not melted yet, but it's Spring?" I nod. He speaks quickly and brusquely, a combination that's difficult to explain. "Well, we were struck by a sudden, intense two-day blizzard on the 30th. We were stuck inside the whole time. You arrived about two hours after the snow had finally stopped. Well, your grandfather's land is in good shape. Fertile soil. The buildings? Not so much. Very old. Been around longer than me."

"And that's sayin' something," Natalie exclaims from the edge of the room.

"Amount of snow's caused some of the roofs to collapse," Taro continues, as if he's never heard Natalie. I'm beginning to think this was the 'Grandfather' Felicia had mentioned earlier. "The Coop and the stable are just simple patch jobs, though the coop has some decent cracks in the structure from certain roof pieces falling down. We'll have to start the house from scratch."

I realize my mouth's open when Natalie crosses the room and comes over to where I am and closes my mouth with a finger.

"But where will she stay?" She asks. I'm glad she asked; I didn't want to ask myself, it'd probably sound rude. "You look like you're gonna fall down," She states, leading me over to an armchair and sitting me down in it. I lean forwards, elbows on my knees, as she sits on one of the arms of the withered chair.

"Gannon, how long will rebuilding the house take?" Taro asks, pacing the room.

"Hmm…" The Gruff man Taro called Gannon sits on the couch, thinking. "'Bout five days, at least, for the house alone. I'll need to clear the whole thing out, then rebuild, depending on what's goin' in the floor plan. What would ya want in yer new house?" He says, addressing me.

"Um." I say quietly. "A bedroom. Living room. Bathroom. Kitchen."

Everyone bursts out laughing. Even Gannon gives a rough chuckle. I feel heat rising up my neck. Natalie wraps her arms around my shoulders and says, "Of course, Chelsea! But those are basic _necessities_. If you wanted something in _particular_, though, what would you want?"

I tilt my head, thinking. Something I've always wanted for mysel-

"A Kitchen. A nice kitchen. Where I could cook stuff and not have everything cluttered everywhere."

I pull Soul off my shoulder and put him in my lap. Natalie reaches over and pats him. "He's _soo_ cute!" She coos. Gannon, the Stable's the thing that's the most intact, right?" He nods. "Well, could we build her a barn, too?"

He ponders it for a second. "I guess… 'S the least we could do, I s'pose… get Mirabelle to tell Vaughn to bring a cow…"

"I-I really don't need one, guys, I mean, the snow's not even gone yet, I wouldn't the poor thing to freeze to death the first day it comes in!"

Natalie pouts. "Fine. But we're still building you a barn, right, Gannon?"

He nods just as Charlie and the little girl come out from the kitchen with cookies. I'd been so immersed in the conversation I hadn't even realized they'd left where they were sitting.

"Hey, Lady! Want a cookie?" He says, holding one out to me.

"Thanks, Charlie," I giggle, taking it.

"This is Eliza, she's my best friend!" he says, and she gives him a stunning smile that shows she's pleased with his remark.

She turns towards me and gives a slight curtsey with her hands behind her back. "Pleased to meet you!" She smiles. She has glossy golden hair people would _pay_ to have, and icy-blue eyes that seemed to shimmer when she moved. Her skin was completely _flawless_. She was the most beautiful child I've ever seen in my life.

"And to you as well!" I smile back.

She gives me a smile as she turns around and heads towards Gannon. "Daddy! Can me and Charlie go play at the beach?"

His face softens, and I can see what Pierre meant by 'you'll be surprised'. You can see the love in his eyes as the spoke. It was sweet. "'Course you can, hun. Be home 'round four, though. We're havin' supper then." I felt a little bad now that I had judged Gannon so easily. He really did seem like a caring person.

"Okay! Thanks, Daddy!" She kisses him on the cheek and runs out, Charlie right behind her.

I munch on the cookie Charlie gave me. It's really good.

"So where's she gonna stay?" Natalie asks again, and there's a bit of demanding in her tone this time.

"You could stay with us, dear; but Natalie, you'll have to sleep on the couch..." She trails off, pondering other options, I imagine.

I don't want to put out their fuckin' family, for Goddess' sake. I now know that _someone's_ been sleeping on the couch for the past three nights.

Natalie must sense my unease, because she says, "Mirabelle's got an extra room for Vaughn for when he's here, she could use that. Vaughn could sleep in the Barn; he'd deserve it."

"Natalie…" Felicia warns. "We could get Carol to give her a room at the Inn," She offers.

"The rooms are small, though, and Carol won't allow pets. It's against her policy…" Natalie sighs. "Looks like I'm sleepin' on the couch…"

"Y-you don't have to, Natalie… It's your room, I'll take the couch." I say, somewhat quietly, but I imagine everyone heard me.

"I've got a room," Pierre says from a corner near the kitchen. I'd almost forgotten he was there. "If you don't mind it being unnaturally warm all the time from having the oven and stove on a lot…"

He's got his hands folded, slightly wringing them, as if he's nervous. I'm getting a vibe that he feels awkward for giving the idea.

I'll go with that, 'least I'm not putting anyone out of a room.

I smile. "That'd be great, as long as I'm not putting you out, or anyth-"

"No, no, not at all," He assures.

"Well, it's settled, then!" Taro says with a hint of relief that the topic's been fixed.

"Good." Natalie says. She seems happy with the outcome as well. She looks at me. "You hungry? Let's go to Nick's. Best food you'll ever have." Pierre gives her an affronted look. She winks at him. "Kidding! But it's still really good."

She stands up, and I rise with her, holding Soul in the crook of one arm and brushing crumbs off my jeans with another.

Natalie then grabs my hand and pulls me into the kitchen. "Mom, we're going to Diner!"

Felicia rushes over. "Here, Natalie," she says, handing her some money. "Pay for Chelsea, too."

She smiles brightly at me. I'm about to start stuttering out about how she doesn't need to, but Natalie grabs my wrist and pulls me out the door. I glance at Pierre questioningly, wondering if he'll come with us. He catches my look and follows us out.

"Don't bother fighting with my mom," Natalie says once we've left the house. "She's a huge pushover, so just go with what she says."

We arrive at the diner, just a bit away from both Natalie and Pierre's houses, but closer to Pierre's, I think.

Walking into the diner, I feel warm and fuzzy, despite the bitter frost on the ground outside. There's a local radio station playing somewhere in the background, and I hear water running and the clinking of plates. I imagine someone's doing dishes.

"Go sit down, guys, I'll order." Natalie walks towards the back of the Diner, and a man (who must be Nick) wipes his hands on a dish towel, shuts off the running water and rushes out of the back room to greet her.

"Here," Pierre says as we reach a table by the window and he pulls out a chair for me. I blush and mumble a thanks as he sits to my right, allowing Natalie to sit in front of me.

I place Soul in front of me (unsanitary, I know), and scratch a spot under his cheekbone. He leans into it, purring.

I start thinking about my new life. _It's off to a good start, I guess. Not to mention that there's some pretty good lookin' guys here, too,_ I think.

Wait, what?

_I'm supposed to be waiting for Marlin_, a part of me says, shocked that I would ever think otherwise.

_But it's kind of already an unsettled agreement that, one, it's gonna be a few years yet before he'll want to commit to a relationship with me just in case anyone of mom's or Ross' friends find out I'm 'disobeying' rules, and, two, he'll probably see other people while I'm here, right?_

As I'm pulling myself deeper into despair, I notice Pierre staring at me, barely holding in a look of either disgust, shock, or contempt… or maybe all three.

"Hm?" I hum, tilting my head at him slightly, willing an explanation.

"That's… that's just so _unsanitary_. They lick their privates, you know, and you're putting it on a surface where you'll eat?" He looks at me. "Could you please, perhaps put him back on your shoulder, or away from where the food will be?"

I probably would have nicely explained to him that I wouldn't, but hearing him call Soul 'it' triggered something, and I pissedly retort:

"Pierre, Goddess dammit, he can't walk, much less lick himself. He's a damn newborn, less than two weeks old, and he doesn't even shed. I know you're a supercook and all, but fuck, _really_? I live on a farm. I've eaten on a table with worse on it that a fucking _cat_."

Pierre looks slightly put out and quite shocked at how quickly my quiet demeanor gave out to the sudden outburst. "'A good Gourmet always has a clean place to cook and a cleaner place to serve,'" he seems to recite. "My parents always said that."

_He must have been _raised_ to be a Gourmet,_ I think.

Before I can ask, however, Natalie plops onto the chair in front of me. "I'm fucking _starved_," she mutters, leaning her chest onto the table like she's laying on it.

Pierre gives her the same look he gave me and my cat as she extends her arms and drapes them across the table. He gives a disgusted scoff.

Without taking her head from its face-down position on the table, she lazily lifts her hand up and flips him off. The shocked look on his face is priceless, and I can't help but giggle at it.

He blushes, but luckily for him, the food arrives and Natalie sits up. "Thanks Nick!" she says as he sets the food in front of us.

"You owe me $3.72," Natalie says to Pierre, and he fishes his pocket for change.

"I figured you'd like vegetables 'cause you're a rancher and all," Natalie says, as I inhale a delicious scent of vegetables and teriyaki.

"I do. I'm not picky. Thanks," I smile. Nick introduces himself, then leaves, to finish the dishes, I assume.

"It's rare to have someone who likes _everything_," Pierre says, taking a bite of what smells like Curry Rice.

"Well," I say. "I'm not a big fan of meat dishes. 'Cause I don't think there's been a year I can remember where I grew up in the valley and we didn't have livestock. Depending on what it is, I'll eat it, but my morals probably won't like it."

They both nod, drinking in the information.

"How old are you?" Natalie asks suddenly, taking a big mouthful of tempura.

"Huh?" I ask, surprised by the question. "Oh. Uh. I just turned eighteen last month."

"'Bit young to have flown the coop, don't you think?" A female voice says. I turn to see Julia with a take-out bag.

"Wha'er you doin' herh?" Natalie manages to say, her face still stuffed with food.

"…Ew. Goddess damn, Natalie, chew your food, Pierre's gonna have a heart attack with the manners you're using." We glance at Pierre and, sure enough, his look of disgust couldn't be kept back any longer. "If it's so damn important, _I'll wait_. Just, please, finish your mouthful."

She takes a huge swallow. I'm actually surprised that she didn't choke.

"Thank you," Julia says, taking the remaining seat to my left. "Now, I'm here picking up supper, hence the takeout bag," she says, lifting it. "But then I heard your conversation." She turns to me. "Just eighteen, huh? A bit young to be leaving home, most people don't leave till their mid-slash-early twenties. And, seeing as how you're from a community-run Village that's the size of my thumb, it's surprising for you- a Rancher, no less- to be leaving behind everything you had and start anew. Why? You hated the place, wanted to travel the world, cure the Wanderlust you've has since you were a child, when you realized there's so much _more_ in the world? Did you want to be a Vagrant? Or… Were you…" She leans towards me. "_eloping_?"

"Did you see a guy with her on that boat?" Natalie asks. "Didn't think so."

"Whatever," Julia scoffs. "So why'd you leave your life?"

I'm quiet for a few moments, trying to force the lump in my throat down. Julia was just curious, I know, but she was wrong. So very, very wrong. Then, I say, so quietly I hope no one hears, "My mom made me." I look down, hoping no one heard.

They did.

_Well now, how was that? We all found out what's wrong with the ranch. Not as exciting as some expected, I know, but hey, it's the first thing that came into my mind._

_I think (unless it's important or I can't find a decent breaking point to stop) all my chapters will be about 2-4k words. Is that cool? Or would you prefer shorter/longer chapters? LET ME KNOW, PLEASE!_

_As always, give me pairings, reviews and/or ideas, and I'll continue to write! Remember, two or three reviews for the next chapter! As soon as I've got the reviews and the Finished Chapter, it's goin' up. So you gotta be quick if you want a shoutout, lovlies!_

_From my heart to the keyboard,_

_xoSoul_

_P.S. I've finished the next Piece and a surprise, so review and you'll see what the surprise is! 3_


	6. Chapter 4c

Chapter 4c

_A/N: Hello friends! I'm a Lady of promise, and I promised you Chapters in return for Reviews! So, Voila!_

_My eternal love goes to: Belimair, Ginger, and WildWolfPup For Reviewing! _

_So, without further ado, let me present to you:_

_Chapter 4c! Told by Pierre! Enjoy! _

_Hold the phone. Have I ever specified what Pierre's accent is? Well, I think he's English, like he grew up in London or something. You can pick whatever accent you've used on him, but I've attempted to use language like he's British. But I digress._

_By The Way, Get ready for a fanfiction Cliché. Just puttin' that out there._

_**Chapter 4c:**_

I felt like Julia was nudging herself too far into Chelsea's affairs; and by the look on the girl's face, she wanted nothing more than for this conversation to end. Natalie looks at her, curious, as Julia asks, yet again, "So, why'd you leave your life?"

It was almost too quiet to hear, but for some reason, everything seems to fall deathly silent when she talks, like some mysterious power of the Goddess that silences everything else so she can be heard, if only for those few moments.

She says it like she doesn't want to, like she wished she didn't. I almost didn't catch it, yet she was right beside me.

Once she'd said it she bows her head, looking into her bowl. Her words, ever quiet, seem to resonate loudly in my mind.

I glance at Natalie, and her eyes are wide; in shock, I think.

Julia, who had been leaning into the table, sits back, all humour and excitedness in her face gone. There's a silence that's rather uncomfortable, followed by Julia standing and saying, "I'd… I'd better get this back to… Well, I'd better be getting back."

I reckon she had deliberately avoided talking about Mirabelle; she was always one to accidentally brag, but I'm surprised that she managed to catch herself this time.

Julia nods at us, gives a small, melancholy smile, and departs.

"I'm sorry," Natalie says quietly. "She never knows when to stop and mind people's privacy… Living on the islands so long, you don't have secrets… 'cause everyone knows you." She gives Chelsea a weak smile. "I'm sure you can relate… But I should have stopped her soone-"

"It's fine," Chelsea mumbles, her head still down. She then takes a deep breath, lifts her head up, and smiles. But it doesn't reach her eyes. Not by a long shot. "What about you guys? How old are you?"

Natalie's eyes brighten, seemingly happy that the awkwardness has left the table. "I'm seventeen," she smiles. Chelsea nods, then looks at me.

"Oh, uh, I'm twenty-one." She nods again, taking in the information, but as I told her my age, her eyes had clouded, if only for a second; as if my age had brought back some (possibly unfortunate) memories.

And in that moment, I realized that the all-but-silent girl next to me, timid as she was, had many unexplained secrets, and by what I remember of her arms, an unfortunate past to go with it.

"Oh! Good! Is everyone else in the same age range?"

I eat the rice around the edge of my bowl, not eating the curry sauce, as Natalie starts telling her the ages of the usual crowd.

I'm not entirely interested in the conversation they're having, and to be frank, I'm still rather bothered by Julia's conversation, so I do what my parents taught and raised me to do: concentrate on my food, and pay attention to the flavours. As I chew a bite of rice and Curry, I mull over the flavours of the curry Nick's put in. I can taste each spice, almost individually, and among them I can pick out Cajun seasonings, Cumin, and a lot of chilli powder. I can also faintly taste something sweeter, like a dash of nutmeg or maybe… Cinnamon? Yes, that's it.

The thing I found wrong with it, however, was that there was quite a bit of curry powder used, so Nick seemed to have added more liquid to the mix, making the Curry sauce a _dreadful_ soup-like dish. With the texture of something like rice to go along with it, the dish became quite unappetizing.

I'm finally unable to consume any more due to its texture, and I notice Natalie's finishing her last few sentences.  
>"… Except Elliot, he's twenty-three but he's stupid enough to be in somewhere our age group," She smirks. She looks at my pushed-away bowl. "Enjoy?"<p>

"Actually, no," I reply, saddened. "A bit too watery for me."

Natalie snorts with amusement. "You and your damn standards."

"Well, I _am_ a Gourmet," I pout. "I'm _allowed_ to have standards.

Natalie scoffs and looks at Chelsea. "You done? It's late… I should be getting back. I had fun; I'll talk to you soon, Rancher!" She gives Chelsea and me a wave and rushes out.

I glance up at the clock on the wall; it's half past seven… We've been here two hours.

I look at Chelsea just as she opens her mouth in a huge yawn. _It was really cute,_ I think, just as I realized what I had thought. Warmth rushes up my neck and into my cheeks. I elaborate.

"I imagine you're _exhausted_!" I say. "Would you like to head back?"

She nods somewhat eagerly, but obviously drained from today's activities.

As we leave and walk back to my home, I try not to think about the pained look she had while Julia questioned her, or about the bruises I've twice since she's been awake, lined up along her arms. I try not to think of her reaction when she first saw Gannon, and how I had to reassure her about him. I try not to think about how small and fragile and less-than-well-fed she looks, nor do try to think about how she never once picked up her fork to eat.

But, despite trying not to, I seem to dwell on it a moment longer than I hope.

*O*O*O*

Once we get back to the house, Chelsea promptly asks, "Where might the guest room be?" She looks at the door leading into the hall.

"Right this way," I say, leading her through the kitchen and down the hall. She slows down a bit when we pass my home-library-slash-study; she must have seen the bookshelves, they're large and ceiling-to-the-floor chock-full of almost every cookbook in every language and orient. I'll have to show her later.

I open a door to a room with purple walls, save for the white accent wall.

"It looks… Lived in." She rounds on me. "Pierre, what the Hell?"

I sighed. "I lied… I don't have a guest room, but I couldn't very well have you sleep at Taro's; unless you would have _liked _to sleep in the stock room!"

"Well, where are you going to sleep?" She asks sceptically.

"Well, the couch, of course!" I say obviously.

"You're sure?"

"_Positive_." I grab a pair of pyjamas from a drawer, and then I show her the bathroom. I bring her suitcase and rucksack from the kitchen into my bedroom-turned-temporary-guest-room. Finally, I show her the living room at the end of the hallway.

"If you need _anything_, please don't hesitate to wake me up and ask." I smile gently.

She smirks. "You sound like a tour guide."

I start to feel the familiar sensation of a blush creeping up into my cheeks, and I quickly duck into the linen closet, gathering blankets and pillows. I grab an extra blanket and hand it to her.

"There's supposed to be a thunderstorm tonight," I explain. "I'd rather you not catch cold your first week here!"

She smiles slightly, and I can tell it's genuine, because her eyes seem to spark as she does it, even in the darkness of receding twilight. It's really something astounding. "Thanks, Pierre," she says. She grabs my hand, and I feel a jolt in the pit of my stomach when our hands briefly touch; not unlike when I'm cooking and I realise I've added the wrong ingredient, except this is… _nicer_. Much nicer. "For everything."

I'm only able to nod as she walks into the bedroom and closes the door.

I quickly change and brush my teeth in the bathroom, and then quickly sneak into the library and grab an old, dog-eared Latin Recipe Book, then head back to the living room. The weathered brown leather cover only just shows the title imprinted in the front and on the spine: _Cibus Hereditas_.

I lay out my blankets and pillow on the couch and flip through the book, translating the old Latin somewhat slowly. After a while, I set the book down on the table beside the arm of the couch and roll over.

I fall asleep just as the storm starts.

*O*O*O*

"P…Pierre?" I hear, a small voice in the enclosing darkness, pulling me out of a peaceful sleep.

"Hm?" I'm able to utter, my mind still cloaked in slumber's warm embrace.

"Are you awake? It's okay if you aren't, it's just…"

"No, no, Love, I'm up…" I say, voice clouded and almost certainly incomprehensible with my accent weighing on the words as well, as it always does when I'm tired. I lift myself up somewhat, leaning with my forearms behind me, keeping me at a somewhat obtuse angle. "What's wrong?"

"The storm… It woke me up."

As if in response, a loud thunderclap momentarily lights up the room. In those few seconds, I noticed Chelsea was wearing an old _Mineral Town Harvest Festival_ t-shirt and very short… well, shorts.

"Yes, well, it _is _rather loud, I suppose, now that you mention it. Would you like me to make you a drowsy tea? It would help you fall back asleep, if you'd like."

She shakes her head and steps closer. "No, but… I was wondering if… Well, I'm scared," She says quietly. "Could… Could I sleep with you?"

Even in the darkness, I could bet the _entirety_ of my spice rack that she sees my blush.

"I mean—not _sleep_ with you like _that_, but as in lay with you until I could fall asleep, or-" She stops rambling when she sees me move the corner of the blanket to the sign, welcoming her to join me on the couch. She gratefully edges in and slides next to me.

It's not uncomfortable, but the couch really only has room for one person to lie horizontally; the poor girl's basically lying on me. I try to move into the couch more, to allow me more room, but somehow she winds up on top of me, our faces flush with each other's, probably the only time she'll be able to look at my face at eye-level.

"Thanks…again," she says, her face close to mine. She smells like nothing I've smelt on a person before, a mixture of outdoors like pine needles and freshly turned soil and… flowers. Lots of different flowers.

And with that, she leans her head down towards mine…

And then…

And then…

And then what?

I wake up in a jolt, the couch vacant except for me. The door to my room is still closed.

_Goddess dammit, _I think. _I can't get kissed in my own _dreams,_ much less get laid outside my dreams._ I bury my head in my hands. _But what's with it being Chelsea?_

_Did anyone find the cliché?_

_If you answered, "Female protagonist is scared by an ironic thunderstorm!" (or something along those lines), You're fuckin' right! _

… _I had to, guys. It bothers me every time I fuckin' see a thunderstorm and the girl goes all pansy. And then they either start making out or start fucking. It just….__**bothers**__ me. So yeah, I had to do __**something**__ anti-cliché but still somewhat cliché. I basically just gave the cliché a huge middle finger._

_And I couldn't be happier about it._

_Just the other day I had this weird impulse to write something completely out of context with the plotline… well, not completely. It'll probably come in handy later. If you'd like to read it, please mention it in your review… and I'll post it as soon as I can!_

_I sent it to my friend, and she said it was amazing~ But she'd probably say that anyway… I __**am**__ quite happy at the final product, though._

_So next chapter is a little Surprise :)_

_I hope to post soon!_

_xoSoul_


	7. Flashback Chapter 1

_Hello again, lovelies! Here's your surprise!_

_It's a flashback._

_I hope you like it!_

_As for the Thank-yous, I'd really like to say thank you to Belimair, loveliecoraima, and epicookies (I loved the first pen name you wrote!) for their wonderful reviews and suggestions! I have plans now... :)_

_Updates below!_

_**Flashback#1**_

_**Like I'll Never Be the Same...**_

"_We live with the land," Father said, picking up a handful of warm spring soil. "Never against it. With it, as our ancestors have for generations. Which is why the Goddess-"_

"_And the Harvest Sprites?"_

"_And the Harvest Sprites," He smiles, knowing how much I love stories of the Sprites. "They will watch over us and our land." He pours the Dirt into my outstretched palms, creating a small pile in the crevice both my hands have formed. Excess dirt slides off from the top, falling back onto the ground below._

"_Even me?" I ask eyes wide in amazement that the Goddess herself would watch over me._

"_Especially you, sweetheart. You have a power that you don't even realize you have. You've been blessed by the Goddess, and if you're ever in need of help, your power will help you, sent by the Goddess."_

"_Wh... What about Jack? Does Jack have a special Power?"_

"_I… I think so. But I don't think it's the same as yours and mi-… Your powers are what make you different from each other, even though you look the same."_

"_Does anyone else know about my power, Daddy?"_

"_No one but the Goddess, her kin, and the ones it affects."_

"_Do you know, Daddy?" He always knows everything about me, that's his GoddessGift, I think._

"_I have a hunch."_

"_What about Kura? Kura know everything about the land, he's told me lots!"_

"_Actually, he's the one who told me to look closer."_

"_Look closer for what, Daddy?"_

_He smiles and brushes the dirt off his pants. "Come on. I got another in the Market yesterday."_

_I gasp loudly. "Did you really, Daddy? What colour is it?"_

"_You'll see. Come on!"_

_I gently set the dirt back onto the ground, like it's a newborn chick. I race to the back of the farm where Father is waiting for me, next to a small trench with a few brightly coloured flowers. It's a bonding moment between me and Daddy; a time where no one else can bother us. Me and him, him and me. He pulls a small seed out of his pocket._

"_What colour is it, Daddy?" He smiles as he hands me the seed. I grasp it in a small fist._

"_Let's let the land pick, shall we?"_

"_I want it to be orange!" I smile as I gently dig a small furrow into the soil. I gently place the seed in the soil and put the dirt back. Father hands me a watering can, Where'd he get that? He always has everything he or someone else needs handy. That's something I love about him. There's lots more things, but that's just one._

_I pour I tinytiny bit of water on the seed, I always know how much is juuust enough. You don't want the seed to drown; you just want him to have a nice drink._

_I sit there for a few minutes, talking to the buried seed. Just because he's not showing doesn't mean he can't hear me. I tell him about the farm and Daddy who got him and Jack my brother and Mommy who's usually working or teaching Jack to speak a Language she calls 'Français'._

_Too soon, though, Daddy has to go to work, and I give him a big hug like I do every day, but I'm always sad to see him leave, so I walk with him until the path up the Valley starts. I start to cry, like I do sometimes, "but that's okay because it's okay to cry when you're three," Mommy would say._

_He gives me an extra big hug and another kiss on the forehead, and then a Light yellow butterfly lands on my nose. Its wings dry some of my tears. Daddy laughs, my face must look funny, with my eyes teary and crossed, looking at my new butterfly friend._

_Daddy waves, blows a kiss, the begins to walk up the hill._

"_Hey there," I whisper, wiping my eyes, making sure not to hurt the butterfly. "Wanna play? We could play hide and seek in the flowers at my farm!" I keep my voice quiet; I don't wanna scare the butterfly away. The Butterfly blinks And I just have a feeling in my tummy that the butterfly's a boy._

_He leaves my nose and flies circles around my head, and I giggle. "Let's go, then!"_

_As we play Hide and seek in the flowers, I'm having so much fun I don't realize the Bright orange flower poking out of the soil I had just watered and talked to, not even ten minutes ago._

_So please tell me what you think. If you liked it, gimme some suggestions on what flashbacks/memories you'd like to learn about Chelsea or the characters on the Islands. But preferably Chelsea in the Valley.  
>Also, I've FINALLY finished Chapter four. Thank fucking god. Next chapter. Promise.<br>Also, I'd like to ask if you could tell me what you would rather: Chelsea going back to the Valley for a visit or one or two characters coming to the islands. Her going to the Valley would take a lot longer, whereas someone coming to visit might just be within the next few chapters. Tell me also who you'd like to come down._

_As a side note, does anyone play The Tale of Two Towns? If so, I'll be posting a few short stories about a particular pairing I've found adorable. If you play the game, be sure to check it out! :D_

_As always, I fucking talk too much. So, Next chapter is the end of chapter four, and you know the rules: Two or three reviews! There's a bunch more mildly important shit about three to nine lines up, and if you read it and heed my words, you're fucking remarkable._

_xoSoul_


	8. Chapter 4d

_Hello, readers! You're all so wonderfully patient, so I've gone and written a nice, long chapter for you all (It's actually probably because this is finally the end of chapter four…)!_

_Exciting news at the bottom! I do so hope you like the Chapter!_

_A big thank-you to Belimair, loveliecoraima, Arianna Of The Combined Beings, and epiccookies for their stunning reviews!_

_**Chapter 4d: …And so I woke up near the Sea…**_

As the next few days go by, I take the time to familiarize myself with the islands and its inhabitants. I learn that there's more uninhabited islands farther out, but Kirk, the man who runs the boats to said islands is busy caring for a sick wife and kids.

The only Island that's available to go to is Meadow Island, a place where festivals, contests and gatherings are held. There's a shrine there, and I feel strangely compelled to go see it whenever I'm there, just like the harvest tree at the Spring back home.

With Natalie, Julia, or Pierre always by my side (one replacing the other when they have to go do their respected work), I've learned lots about the island's inhabitants; what they do, where they came from, why they're here.

Pierre told me how much Natalie loves blueberries, whereas her mother likes flowers. I learned that, as wary an Eliza is about her well-being and beauty, she loves chocolate. I also learned (from Natalie, no less) that Elliot is scared of not only dogs, but cats as well.

"He's such a baby," she'd scoffed. "He's twenty-three years old and he's scared of fucking _cats_. I mean, come _on_.

I found out that (much to my amusement and surprise), based on various body parts, Taro knows what the weather will be like the following day. He hasn't yet been wrong. I learned that most days, Julia will go to Sprout Island and watch the waves for hours, until the tide rolls in or until she's to go help her mother with the shop.

Today, I'm doing just that, sitting on a quilted blanket with Julia, munching on cold, dry toast with her.

"Hey," I say, swallowing the bit of toast and looking at her. "Three days I've come with you in the morning, and each day you've brought dry fucking toast. Why not something more… Tasteful?"

"Well, I'm sure as Hell not going to carry a huge-ass pot of porridge to the beach. Plus, whatever you'd want on the toast would taste gross when it got cold, so, dry toast it is! Got a problem with that?" she says, giving me a stern look when she says the last bit.

"N-no, not at all…" I somewhat mumble, munching on more toast.

I stare out at the waves, and something occurs to me.

"Julia…" I begin, wondering how to phrase it. "Did you know Pierre didn't have-"

"A guest room?" she finishes for me. I nod slightly. "Yup. Whole town does, obviously. Why he did it? No idea. Probably because he was raised to be a Gourmet and a gentleman." She says it like she means it, but I feel as if there's more to it.

I go quiet and bite my toast. Soul gets up from his spot on Julia's lap and wobbles over to the pile of toast plated between us. He clamps a piece in his tiny mouth and drags it to a spot on the blanket where he promptly plops down and bites a piece of the toast with he's clamped between his tiny paws.

Julia giggles, staring at him. "He's quite smart for one so small, did you know? Never, in my whole life of caring for and nurturing animals, have I ever seen a kitten so intelligent, though he does have the look of a runt…" She smiles at me, and says warmly. "You must have been a good rancher, Chelsea. The Harvest Goddess must be pleased."

_Only the Harvest goddess?_ I'm about to ask if she knows about the Harvest _Sprites_, when she jumps up.

"Holy shit! I'm late! I have to go help mom impregnate a set of cows, and it's _really_ dirty wor-" She stops. "OhmyGoddess," she says all at once. "I'm so sorry, I keep forgetting about you and your mo-"

"It's fine," I say, and it really is. "I can't keep you from talking about your mom."

"You sure, girl?" She says, sincere. She seems to have picked up the name 'girl' for me over the past few days, even though she's only a year my senior. But hey, I'm not complaining.

"Nicknames are fun!" Jack always said whenever he'd push the 'Jill' thing too far.

"It's fine," I say, expressing the fine into something that sounds like "fi-i-i-ine."

She smiles and runs off, ponytail bobbing.

I don't think she believed me. But honestly, it is fine.

… _Is it?_

I sigh and grab another piece of toast before I lie down on the quilt-covered ground.

Nibbling on the toast, I think about my mother, something I've tried to stop doing since she started turning a blind eye towards me and her 'boyfriends'.

We had gotten along so well before dad died, and after that, well… I close my eyes and flip through the memories over the years, a technique the Harvest sprites helped me learn at a young age. They taught me how to filter and categorize my thoughts to the point where they were little folders in my mind. It helped me stay sane over the years, the organization keeping unwanted memories where they belonged.

But, I digress.

I think of how secluded she got, even with her new boyfriends. But, Hell, as soon as Ross walked into the picture, everything was just perfect- Until she realized he didn't like me. But instead of leaving him—or at least telling him to _stop_, She'd ignored it. Even went as far as thinking it never happened, ignoring my silent pleas for help, even when the results were clear as day on my arms or face.

She even married the fucker—which is probably they're either honeymooning or she's gone off to live with him on his bullshit 'homeland', she called it.

Unfortunately, going back isn't an option—Griffin's bar is the only bar closest to Ross' job, so imagine what his buddies would say if they saw me hanging around the bar the same time they are—and I'm sure as _Hell_ not spending my days in hiding. Oh fuck no.

And, knowing my mother, who can't make a decision for herself, who knows when she'll want to return to visit Jack? Jack was always her favorite, just as I was father's. We've never held it against each other, though, because as soon as Jack knew what was happening to me, he'd immediately taken my side of things—when you have a twin, there's more of a connection than just in body, but in mind and spirit as well. He still loves her, though, and for that I'm grateful. At least she'll have one child who will accept her love and praise.

_I gave up on her a long time ago._

A shadow passes over me. _The clouds are passing in already?_

"You're going to freeze," Pierre says.

"Holy _shit_!" I exclaim, throwing my eyes open and scrambling backwards, making myself as small as possible—in instinctual move that's come in handy over the years. "Don't fucking _do_ that," I gasp, and I wouldn't be surprised if my eyes were the size of plates.

Pierre takes a half a step back, looking down to stare at me because, again, he's so tall. His eyes are filled with shock, confusion and what I think is a hint of intrigue.

"I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean t-to…"

I sigh and go back to lying in my previous spot. "Just… just warn me next time, okay?" I say, looking up at him from where I lay.

He squats down, still near the top of my head, so we're looking at each other upside-down. He stares at me still, sincerity in his face. "I really _am_ sorry, you know."

I reach up and pat his cheek. "It's cool."

I let my hand linger on his face for an extra moment; his face is so warm and my hands are a bit cold.

"Lay down with me," I say, patting Julia's vacated spot. He flushes, though I don't know why. Awkward memory?

He quickly lies down, though, removing his top hat and placing it on his stomach.

"I thought you were watching the ocean," he says, staring at the sky.

I take another bite of toast. "Well, after Julia left, I was more… organizing my thoughts."

"Ah," he says. "Yes, sometimes we all need to do that."

We lie there in silence for a few minutes, the morning's ocean breeze wafting over us. He abruptly turns his head to look at me and asks, "How are you not cold?"

I'm wearing jean capris and a tank top over the same thin button up—that I've buttoned this time.

I shrug. "I'm used to weather like this, I guess."

In reality, I _am,_ but only because Ross would make me do my work and chores in the winter without proper clothes. My body's nearly always cold now, so a bit of extra cold won't do much harm; though I do seek heat like a moth seeks light—my showers are always at the hottest temperature, I prefer my food and tea scalding, and I'm always the closest one to the fire at bonfires.

"You must come from a place that was simply _freezing_! ...Where _are_ you from, by the way? No one's told me as of yet," he says curiously.

"Forget-Me-Not Valley," I say proudly.

"Oh yes, I've heard of that place!" He says suddenly.

"You have?"

"Yes, I've heard they have a large variation of wild vegetation, and I've heard their crops are brilliant!"

I beam at him. He looks at me and smiles back. He's really adorable when he smiles.

"I'll have to bring you there sometime," I smile. _Now I have a good reason to go back._

"Did you grow the crops?"

"Yeah, some. There's another farm, though, and they focus on crops only. _Their_ crops are amazing. We mostly made hybrids."  
>"We? I guess I didn't see your mother being the farmer type."<p>

I bark a spiteful laugh. "You're right there," I mumble. "'We' as in me and Jack."

His face falls somewhat. "Jack?"

I smile and nod. "Yeah. I love him with all my heart."

His face turns away from me a bit, staring back up at the sky. "I… I see."

I sigh slightly. "Best brother you could ever ask for in your whole life."

I think I can hear his breath hitch.

"Your- your brother?"

"Mhmm. He's helped me a bunch back… back home. We'd always drive everyone nuts when we were kids, but now we're somewhat mature… and we've gained their trust again… I think. Cost us a lot of peace offerings and free labor, though." He looks at me quizzically. "You didn't know us then. I mean, we were _Hell_ raisers. Did everything but start a fire." I think about it. "Wait, never mind. We did everything."

"You started a fire?"

"Well, we didn't mean to; it just kinda… happened. Set my skirt on fire. I was seven."

"I'm… uh… sorry to hear that. You don't seem like the kind of girl to wear skirts."

"I haven't. Not since I was seven, anyways. Must have been a sign from the Goddess that skirts weren't meant for me."

"Mmm," he hums, nodding. "But seriously, Chelsea, if you're ever going out or something, and you're in need of a jacket—I'd be happy to lend you one… Or at least get Julia to bring you one."

"Thanks, Pierre. You're really a great guy," I smile, yawning.

My mind soon goes warm and fuzzy as I lose consciousness and take a nap in the early spring chill.

*O*O*O*

When I wake up, there's no sunlight-that-turns-the-inside-of-your-eyelids-pink.

It's just… dark.

I hear the soft _wshh_ of the ocean on its eternal mission to invade the shore. I open my eyes slowly and I'm looking at billions of stars puncturing the inky blackness of the night.

_What a lovely nap_.

I arch my back and slowly stretch my arms out, horizontally, but I jerk them back when my left hand (well, half closed fist _really_) makes contact with something warm, soft and a bit squishy.

I snap my head to the left and see Pierre, arms crossed behind his head, gazing at the pockmarked sky.

"Have a good rest?" He asks casually. He doesn't mention the whole hand-to-the-face thing. "You must have; you've been here all day." I blush. He turns his head to me, fuchsia eyes shining in the dark. "You're very peculiar," He murmurs, amusement in his tone. "Do you always do this?"

I sigh. "No, but remember the night it rained? Well, stormed? Downpour-like?" I talk quieter than usual, Goddess knows what time it is and I wouldn't want to wake anyone up.

He makes a quick hum in his throat, which I take as one of agreement. I think his face goes a bit red.

I continue, "If I'd known the islands a bit better, I would have gone for a walk."

"A walk? In weather like that?"

"Well, yeah. I love walking at night, and walking in rain feels amazing."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't give a- Well, why the fuck not?" I wasn't getting pissed, per se, but I _was_ eager to shock him, give him something unexpected to tell the boys about whenever they say something about plain-ol'-farmer Chelsea.

"Because you look like you prefer dry land." He says simply.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm." And with that, he turns his head back to the sky.

"Hmph," I grumble. I lightly push his shoulder. "You're an asshole."

"Me!"

"Yep." I see a smile flicker on his face as we stare at the shining sky.

We stay there a while, until my stomach gives a Goddess-awful growl, to which Pierre bursts out laughing.

"Let's go get something to eat, yeah? If Nick or Halia's isn't already closed."

*O*O*O*

They were.

"Fuck!" I exclaim, holding my stomach as we walk away from Nick's.

"You seem to forget," Pierre says, unlocking his front door and holding it open for me, "That I'm a Gourmet." He turns on the kitchen lights. "I've told you, I asked Gannon to build me a kitchen fitting of a Gourmet."

"Heh. No kidding." I'm still amazed at the size of his kitchen. And I'm amazed also at his stubbornness about him not letting me cook. Every time I try and help, he'll gently push me out of the cooking area with a bun or a muffin.

So, I sit at his kitchen table, feigning submission, while he steams vegetables and cooks a chunk of salmon.

But I can only follow orders from people for so long before I have to revolt; everyone in the valley knows that… and three days has gotta be a new fuckin' record for me.

I give him an innocent smile when he sets a plate in front of me.

But he has no idea.

A clang resonates throughout the darkness. I bolt upright, nearly falling off the couch.

I attempt to untangle myself from the blankets and eventually give up as I realize the door to the makeshift guest room is still closed.

I quietly stumble out to the hallway that leads to the kitchen. I see light spilling out from the crack at the bottom of the door that separates the kitchen from the rest of the house.

"_Shit_," hisses a voice behind the door. "_Let's hope he's not awake, then, eh_?" The voice continues to whisper.

I stand there for a few moments, listening. I jump when I hear my stove timer go off.

_What the…_? I hesitate, but then I slowly crack open the door a bit. The smell of baking and brown sugar wafts from the room.

Chelsea is there, pulling cookies out of the oven and moving to the wire rack I keep beside the stove. I wonder, for a second, what she's doing; not only does she have baking ingredients arranged neatly around the counter closest to the stove, but there's vegetables and the like piled on the island centered in the kitchen.

As soon as she gently puts the baking sheet in the sink, I ask, pretty much hidden in the doorway, "What are you doing?" It came out quite a bit harsher than I had ever intended it.

She jumps and gives a loud "_Oh!_" and spinning around. She brings an oven-mitted hand to her heart when she sees that it's me. "Goddess, Pierre," She gasps, eyes still wide with shock. "I told you not to fucking do that!... What-What're you… did I wake you up? _Shit_," she adds in an undertone. "Well-well, just go back to bed, 'kay?" she smiles, looking at the half of my face that's the only thing showing from where I'm standing behind the door.

"What-what were you doing?" I say, stepping into the kitchen. I squint my eyes, the fluorescence of the bulbs giving my eyes a painful brightness to adjust to.

"Cooking," she says simply, taking off the oven mitts.

It takes my sleep-ridden brain a few moments to fully understand what she's saying, but by then she's already turned around again and started consulting a cookbook my mother had written.

"What!" I burst, and she spins around, backing into the counter and clutching it for what seems like a form of support. "Why? Is my cooking not good enough?" I pout, wondering if I have indeed grown lazy in my cooking recently.

"No! Not at all!" she shakes her head vigorously. "Everything you cook is amazing, honest!"

"But…?"

"But you never let me help, and you send me away whenever you're cooking a meal." He crosses her arms and looks down, frowning, almost identical to what Natalie does.

"Well…" I struggle to find words and then decide it's best to change the subject. "But who were you talking to?"

She blatantly points to the kitchen table, where I see her kitten is lying on his back, pawing at the air. He stops to give me a blank look and a small mewl, then resumes pawing the space in front of him.

"I… I see." I glance at the clock mounted on the wall; the hour hand is nearly pointing to the five. "Shall I start breakfast, then?" I ask nicely.

Her eyes seem to ignite, and she bounds over to me, a somewhat angry look on her face. "Have you not been listening to a _fucking word_ I just said?" She growls quietly, standing close to me, as if she were trying to size me up or intimidate me, but she looked about 5'4, a good seven (and a half) inches shorter than my height. Meaning for her to look at me from such a short distance, she had to tilt her head quite a ways back so she could glare at me properly. And, because of that, my chin was nearly touching my neck so I could _allow_ her to glare at me properly. "I am cooking breakfast today and you are not." With that, she turns around and grabs a knife before going back to the cutting board I keep on the island counter. She grabs a few peppers, red and orange, and begins to chop them.

"And if I refuse to comply with that?" I ask disbelievingly. With her tiny body, I fail to see the harm she could inflict on anyone.

"Too bad."

"It's my kitchen, I should think that I can cook breakfast if I'd like!"

"Not if you're tied up with chicken wire." She deadpans me a look and points at me lazily with the knife.

"And where are you going to find that?"

"I dunno, Julia's bound to have some."

She had a point.

"Fine," I huff, dramatically flopping into a chair at the table.

"Oh, what_ever_," she says scathingly, looking at me with an expression that plainly says '_really?_'

I pout. She gives a slight, small laugh, as if she's not accustomed to it; like she's forgotten how to laugh.

I look at her cat, now sleeping peacefully in the position he was in before—on his back, one paw bent and the other outstretched.

_His name was… Soul, wasn't it?_ _Yes, I'm quite sure it is._ I reach out and tentatively touch his fur. It's warm and soft, probably one of the softest things I've ever felt. The kitten leans into my hand and rolls onto his side, purring. I smile, he really is cute. I then notice a small charm on his neck; it must have been a gift from a friend back where Chelsea lived.

I sit there a while, petting the small cat as its owner cooks. She cooks in silence, occasionally asking a question as to where she would find a needed ingredient. I'm happy to let her work in quiet, as I know what it's like to be distracted while cooking.

Soon enough, she sets a plate of eggs, potatoes and toast in front of me and then returns to get her own. I attempt to pick up her cat so as to return him to his basket, but he gives a slight protesting mewl and I nervously lower him back down again.

As Chelsea passes my spot at the table to reach hers, she reaches down and, with her free hand, grasps the kitten's underside so her hand is holding him solely by his stomach and ribs, his forelegs and hind legs splayed out almost vertically.

She carries him like that to her seat, setting down first the plate and then her cat beside it. She sits down and begins to make small piles of eggs beside the original.

I begin to wonder what she's doing when the kitten crawls on its stomach towards the plate and begins eating from the pile.

"Well?" Chelsea says, pointing her fork at me. "Don't make me hold you down."

I quickly take a bite, but instead of tasting the food, my mind wanders to what she just said. The dream from the night of the storm pops up fresh into my mind, and I realize I'm staring at her.

She's still wearing her pajamas, except she's still wearing the same button-up shirt from when she'd arrived.

_I wonder why she insists on wearing it, does she not have any other shirts with sleeves?_

My eyes wander to her face, poring over another cookbook she'd found interesting. Her pallid skin seems to bring out her large, almost orb-like eyes, the paleness seeming to accentuate the deep blue found only in the deepest parts of the ocean. Whenever I look at her, it's her eyes I look at. They seem to hold so much power and hidden emotion. The colour seems to go to almost the edge of her eye, the amount of white giving her a younger appearance, as if she were a younger teen still. But the depth she seems to have in her eyes looks like she's lived more lives than she shows.

Her hair, a dark, chestnut brown in this light, falls almost gracefully down to about the middle of her back.

And her mouth… Her lips are almost a strawberry-like pink that goes well with the ashen tone of her skin…

"What?" She asks, noticing my staring. The book's closed and she's looking for an explanation.

I feel heat rush up my neck and I know I'm blushing profusely. "It's, uh… R-really good," I stammer, taking another bite. "You've passed the test. Congratulations!"

She laughs a bit again, and it still seems like it's alien to her. "Wonderful."

Once we're finished, she sets her fork down and looks at me, smiling. "I'm glad we didn't have to use chicken wire," she says as she leans over the table to take my plate. Her hair falls forwards like it did in the… dream.

_Why does that seem to be stuck in my mind?_

She stares at me, eyes wide and curious at what I can imagine is an idiotic expression plastered on my face.

I gulp, nod and smile, dismissing the dream from my current line of thoughts. I stand up and follow her to the counter, where she's putting cookies in a tin.

As I start running water for dishes, I could only hear her suppress a giggle as I said,

"Me too."

_So, Chapter four is finally over! (Yay!)_

_So let's have a little fun, yeah?_

_The first three people who review (And not just a one-sentence review; I want nice, moderate-length reviews!) Will get to:_

_First Reviewer: Pick a flashback to write about. Must be something in the Valley, though, and it doesn't have to be in Chelsea's perspective._

_Second Reviewer: Pick a Pairing (besides Elliot and Sabrina, as usual), and I will make it happen. Not necessarily in the next chapter, but sometime within the fiction, I promise!_

_Third Reviewer: Pick a… Oh Jesus, I have no idea. Uhhm.. Pick a title for the next Chapter, I guess? Yeah, that'll work._

_PM me your idea if you're one of the first three!_

_Hope to read some fine-looking reviews!_

_xoSoul_

_P.S. I'm officially up-to-date on typing, and am currently in the process of creating Chapter 5. So, please bear with me and have a bit of patience! 3 _


	9. Flashback Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hello again! It seems like a while… I had a slight case of plotblock… so I have no idea what the fuck this is. It's a mishmash of a bunch of memories containing the flashback pairing of Muffy and Chelsea, and how they met.**_

_**As for thank-yous, Loves go to Belimair, loveliecoraima, and epicookies!**_

_**Disclaimer:: I do not own Harvest Moon.**_

_Flasback number two: I wonder… Does it get any better?_

**-There will be a mention of drugs (specifically pot) in this chapter. Heads up, don't like it, don't read it, don't give me no shit.—**

_It was always me and Jack._

_When Daddy or Mommy were working, it'd be Jack who was always there to play with me._

_When I was three, the only other people who lived in the Valley were Takakura (of course), Romana, Sebastian, Nina, Galen, Kasey, Patrick, and Griffin (who was only here on weekends)._

_Then Vesta came, by herself, when I was four._

_A few weeks before me and Jack turned six, Father died. It was a bitter time, and everyone found a different way to cope._

_Mother would leave for weeks at a time, going into town and leaving us in Takakura and the Valley's care. In the beginning, there was many a night when Jack and I wouldn't sleep, in fear of where she was, and if she was okay. She would return for a week, then go back to do what she was doing in the city._

_Jack's coping was easier, I think. He wasn't as close to Daddy as I was. Not to say he wasn't miserable, but he _was_ able to be happy sooner than I was. Jack had started to explore, by going to Mineral with Takakura whenever he could, or going with anyone who was that day. He also took up fishing, swimming, and started growing crops, because I had stopped; it being the thing me and Father did as a team. He was pretty decent, and (very) slowly got better as time went on. He became the more social of the two of us._

_I was broken; completely shattered that he died at such a young age for both him and me. For two and a half years, I never left the farm unless I had to, taking care of the animals, and more often than not I slept in the barn or outside, either in the gentle company of the livestock or falling asleep under the stars, lying in the grass in the pasture that was so tall it was over my head. That's when I started realizing that, behind the animalistic sounds, there were words._

_But then again, I could have been going insane._

_Jack eventually got me out of the close security of the farm, and started getting me to take walks with him around the Valley. _

_By that time, most of the town had moved in: Carter and Flora had started their excavating, Cody had arrived and begun working on the shrapnel fixtures he would later call 'sculptures', Wally and Chris were a newlywed couple seeking a quiet life outside the town, and Daryl had gotten a contractor to start building his laboratory. That year, I never left Jack's side, watching him fish and swim, sometime joining him, but always refusing to join in whenever he would start planting. Every time he did, a dull ache in my heart would beat, and I would have to leave him when it happened._

_The year I was nine happened quickly. I finally started leaving the farm by myself, spending most of my days either at the farm, at the beach, or excavating with Carter and Flora. The rhythmic digging kept me with a clear mind, something I hadn't been able to have in a while. That year, my mother came home once in early spring for two days and then didn't return all year._

_The year that I would turn ten, though, everything changed._

"_I have to go into town today… Would you like to join me and Jack?" Takakura's voice rang through the pasture, unable to locate me in the tall, spring grass spotted with livestock._

"_No thank-you." I call out, near the back of the field. I stare out at the clouds. _Alone again, today_..._

"_Then go into town today, would you?" Takakura's voice was part stern and part concerned. "A few people moved in over the last week or so. There's some kids your age. Go meet them, and I'll be askin' to see if you have." With that, I hear him step over the fence and walk away with Jack._

_I sigh, and roll onto my tummy._

"_But I don't _want_ to," I say to Abel, the sheep nearest to me. If I had to pick, she was my favorite. Daddy brought her in a few days before… it happened… and she's what Daddy called a 'runt'._

"_It means that she'll always be the smallest of the other sheep, but if we take care of her right, she'll give us the best products." And she did, her wool always felt like silk before I sheared it._

_Once, I asked Daddy why he named her 'Abel'._

"_It means 'breath'," He said simply. I liked it, so I didn't ask any more questions._

_Abel looks at me and gives out a low 'Baa.'_

_I look at her skeptically. "But what's the point? Whoever moved in probably has some Townie kid, who's completely spoiled."_

_By this time, some of the other animals had wandered over to me. Mally, one of the cows, mooed at me in a way that made me think she said, "Just go meet them. You may as well try, girlie."_

_I get up on all fours and sit on my calves. "But what if they get all friend-y and I don't like 'em? Then what?"_

_Dixie, our only goat, bleats at me angrily, and butts me with her horns; not enough to do any kind of damage, but enough that I fall over on my side. I get up and brush some of the dirt off my clothes and run my fingers through my hair._

"_All right, all right, gosh, I'm _going_," I say, walking through the field to get to the water trough. I quickly scoop up some water and scrub my face. The animals follow me, Dixie in the lead. I hop over the fence, waving to the animals. "Wish me luck…"_

_A chorus of bleats and moos followed me as I left the farm._

_*O*O*O*_

_As soon as I leave the farm, I notice a big change. There's a huge building just to the right of the farm. Above the entrance, it says 'INN'. I guess a lot can happen in two seasons._

Let's go there_, I think._

_It was a quick walk, not even half a minute. I take a deep breath before I open the door._

_Inside, the walls were adorned with old-fashioned photos. It had an antique feel, and it was very homely._

_All of a sudden, I hear someone yell "Jack!" and then I'm tumbling to the floor, someone on top of me._

_As we roll around on the floor, a feminine voice scolds, "Rock! You know that's not polite!"_

_Once we stop rolling, I'm on my back with brown eyes staring down at me.  
>"You're not Jack…" He says confusedly.<em>

"_Get off me," I mumble, avoiding his eyes._

_He quickly jumps up, offering his hand. I get up by myself, and dust myself off._

"_I'm so sorry, dear," a woman says. She looks nothing like the boy, while he has blonde hair and tan skin, she has black hair and somewhat pallid skin. A man trudges out, with the same comparable features as the woman. "Please excuse our son." _That's her son? He looks nothing like them!

"_Yeah, I'm really sorry…" He says, lowering his hand. "You look like this kid Jack."_

"_I know who Jack is," I scoff quietly, nudging myself slowly towards the door. "He's my brother."_

"_That makes sense…" he says, nodding._

_After quick introductions and offers to come back and play (that will probably never happen), I left, not knowing where to go next._

I'll go see Griffin_, I think. Griffin always knew things about the town, he told me everything everyone was saying when I wanted to know. He always played me his new songs, too._

_*O*O*O*_

_I knock on the door lightly and enter._

"_Griffin? It's me, I wanted to ask you something about who's moved into town recently, I hafta go meet them, Kura told me to…"_

_Griffin beckons me in. "Well, for starters, there's Tim, Ruby and their son Rock," He offers._

"_Met 'em." I shudder slightly, reliving that nightmare as I struggle to get onto a tall barstool._

"_In that case…" He pauses._

"_There's me!" A girl's voice says. I turn to see someone exiting the room that leads to Griffin's bedroom._

_A girl about my age steps out from in front of the door. She's a bit taller than me (but then again, everyone is), and she has blonde, slightly curled hair that tumbles down to the middle of her back. She's wearing a simple dark pink dress that falls to her knees. She looks up at me from where I'm sitting with gleaming jade eyes._

"_I'm Muffy," She smiles, putting her hands behind her back and leaning forwards slightly. "Let's be friends!"_

_I look at Griffin uneasily. I'm not good around new people. He _knows_ that._

"_Muffy is a daughter of a friend… He's… away… And he asked if I would take care of her for a while." I knew that by 'away' he meant 'dead', and by 'asked if I would take care of her' he meant 'I'm the Godfather'._

_I nod, looking at her again. This time around, I see that there's a bit of pain in her eyes, much like I've seen in Jack's, or when I look in the mirror._

"_I was wondering if you could show her around." Griffin asks._

_I deadpan him a look, opening my mouth slightly. _I don't want to do that, _I think._

"_I told her about the spring, and usually around this time of week you're around foraging, so why not take her with you?"_

_I scowl deeply at him. _This is gonna **suck**_. "You like pickin' flowers?" I sigh. She nods, blushing lightly. I hop off the stool and walk towards the door, waving to Griffin._

"_Then let's go."_

_*O*O*O*_

_And that's how it started._

_Three years later, Muffy and I were already thick as thieves. Somehow, Rock had joined us occasionally, as well._

_But it was mostly just me and Muffy. We helped each other with our problems, because, individually, we started off alone, missing a family from a tragedy and having only a family's friend ensure your well being, but together, we could almost look past the dark times that bordered the outskirts of our memory, the awaiting darkness that always threatened to envelop us in darkness and despair. We were each other's remedy, and, because of that, we established a beautiful friendship that only Jack and I being twins could rival._

_But it was only when she finally opened up to me, in the first week of Spring those same three years later, that I finally realized how broken Muffy really was._

_*O*O*O*_

_It was a beautiful spring morning, as most stories go, and I was just leaving the farm to go set up shop before Van arrived, when I saw Muffy, standing on the bridge, looking out to the ocean._

_Just by the way she held herself and by the way I knew her, she was hurt about something._

_I walked calmly but quickly over to her. She turned around just as I reached the bridge._

"_Oh, it's you, Chels… Would you mind listening to me for a bit…?"_

_She looked so miserable. I hated seeing her like that. "Of course, Muffy… what's wrong?" I sat down on the bridge, and she followed suit, scooting close to me and continuing to look at the ocean._

_She was quiet for a bit, but finally, she said quietly, "I got dumped."_

_I turned my head to look at her. I remember hearing about her 'awesome new boyfriend', though I never met him because I never leave the Valley. I had no need to, really._

"_I thought you said it was going great…?"_

_She took a deep breath from beside me. "He was from the city, but…" She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands into fists as her voice broke. "He was cheating on me."_

_My eyes went wide as I inhaled a sharp breath. "Wha…What?" I whispered._

"_He said he loved the other girl more than me." Tear spilled from her eyes, following tear tracks from what must have been earlier. "H-he didn't even hesitate."_

_I wrapped my left arm around her and pulled her close. She put her head on my shoulder._

"_This always happens to me," She sniffled. "Everybody thinks of me as some sort of pushover. Nobody's ever serious." She wiped her face with one hand, smudging mascara streaks across her face. "Oh, where is my Mr. Right?" She wailed, tears continuing to fall down her face onto my shirt. The wetness was uncomfortable, but I wasn't going to mention it to someone so obviously dejected._

"_Muffy… You're only fourteen," I mumbled. "You can't expect love to find you so soon…"_

"_Yeah, you're right." She sat up, wiping her face with a tissue in her pocket. I helped her get most of the mascara streaks off her face. She took a deep breath. "Oh well." She looked out into the ocean, a ghost of a smile on her face. "There are plenty more fish in the sea. I can't give up." She stood up, and offered a hand to help me up. I took it. "Thanks, Chelsea. I feel better now that I've talked about it. There aren't many girls I can say these kinds of things to. I hope you'll let me do this again."_

_I nodded furiously. "Of course, best friend!"_

_She laughed a bit. "Awesome."_

"_C'mon," I said, grabbing her hand with one of my gloved ones. "It's a new season, let's go pick Toyflowers!"_

_She smiles, probably because she's happy that I've remembered her favorite flower. But maybe it was because that day, three years ago, we did the exact same thing._

"_Chelseee!" A girl's voice calls out over the farm._

"_Where are you, babe?" A boyish voice calls at the same distance as the girl's._

_I lift my head up slightly, just so I can see over the tall, browning, Fall grass. Muffy and Rock were walking up the slight hill that makes one of the entrances to the farm, looking around for me._

"_I fucking hate birthdays," I mutter to Pecky, the chicken I was petting just a moment ago. I lower my head back down, so I won't be seen._

_She clucks a 'Why?'_

_I look at her wearily. "Because it's just a stupid excuse to party, to them. I'd like to just have _one_ birthday where I can just sit in this pasture and do fuck-all."_

_She pecks my hand sharply, breaking the skin. I inhale a sharp breath and hiss, "Goddess! What was that for, huh?" I think about it for a second, sucking on the broken skin. "Oh. Right. Sorry," I mumble. The animals hate it when I swear, even if I _am_ now fifteen._

_Abel wanders over. "They're looking for you, you know."_

_I sigh. _They're not going to leave me alone, are they?_ They're like parents, which is good, I guess. Both of mine are gone; one's dead and the other's disappeared._

_I stand up. "Hey! There you are, babe!" Muffy calls. She carefully steps over the fence and runs over to hug me. "Happy fifteenth birthday!"_

"_Yeah, yeah," I mumble, not hugging her back._

"_Babe!" Rock calls, walking casually through the pasture, like he owned the place. That's one of the things I admired about Rock; he was always so sure about himself. "Where's your bro?"_

"_He went to Mineral for a few hours," I explain. "He'll be back around three, I think."_

"_Cool! We'll bump your guys' party till… say seven, then?" He looks at Muffy. She nods._

"_Sounds good, see you then!" she waves to him as he departs. Once she's gone, she turns to me excitedly. "Come on, I told Gustafa we'd be at his place at noon." She grabs my hand and starts pulling me towards the edge of the field._

"_Wait, why?" I ask suspiciously. I already have one huge party planned (that I don't want in the first place), and I sure as hell don't want another._

"_Gustafa went and got two grams for all three of us, it's your birthday gift!" She's still pulling me towards the fence, though it's not doing much; I'm stronger than her even when I'm piss-drunk._

_I straighten up and stop altogether. "Seriously?" He's usually always gotten less than a gram, and I know from learning that two grams for all three of us will ensure us to get completely baked._

"_Yeah! And, plus, he said we don't have to pay him for our share… You're lucky he's taken to you, Chelsea!"_

_I smile. At least there's one thing I'll look forward to today with Muffy… Rock always tries to separate us when we're partying at his place, for Goddess knows what reason (probably so he can get laid), which guarantees that me and Muffy won't get to talk._

_She seems to sense something's wrong, however. She stops too. "Hey… what's wrong?"_

_I sigh. "I've just… just been thinking about the past."_

_She pulls me into a hug. "We both know it's not good to think of what was, babe."_

_I hug her back. "Why is it just so hard to let go?"_

"_I don't know, Chels…. I don't know."_

_We're like that for a bit, and we eventually head to the yurt, both of us dwelling on what was and what never will be again._

_**So, uh. Yeah?**_

_**Did you like it? I'm not too sure… In all honesty, it was mostly made up on the spot, so there's really no plan to how I've laid this out… I'm sorry if you're confused or didn't like it. I'll try harder next time, I promise so much!**_

_**Please review, and tell me if you liked or disliked this. I really don't know where I'm going with this.**_

_**Also, if you'd like, please give me ideas on future flashback pairings and chapter pairings. Every thought counts!**_

_**And a lovely lady named loveliecoraima asked me: How many chapters do you plan for the story?**_

_**-To tell you the truth, I really have no idea. I write everything during school, with whatever comes to mind first, and I feel as if I'm just getting started… I do so hope you'll all stay with me for the duration of this fiction!**_

_**Another wonderful reader, epicookies, asked: Is Chelsea going to have any romantic scenes with Marlin? Or just the Island guys?**_

_**-I sure as Hell hope so… But again, I haven't a fucking clue where I'm going right now… -.-;**_

_**And a whole shitload of you have been saying how happy you all are that I'm keeping up with this story… And here's something really important: If I ever give up on this, don't let me forget it. Do whatever you can to get me back into it. I owe it to you guys. You're all amazing, and you've all made my life.**_

_**As usual, I can't seem to shut up (I'm trying to cut down, I swear!)... Keep typing, lovelies!**_

_**xoSoul**_

_**P.S.: Next Chapter will be the commencement of Chapter 5. Exciting Stuffs ahead, To make up for the potentially shitty chapter! 3**_


	10. Chapter 5

_I find it a bit sad that I re-wrote this in four days, and it took me over two weeks (including two days off school) to write an unfinished portion of this._

_It just shows what I can do with a little motivation, Guys :)_

_But anyways, I'M SO FUCKING SORRY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA._

_I was almost ready to give up (no not really). I did want to call it off for a few weeks, though._

_But I re-wrote everything, and I think This one's better. Like I said, Everything happens for a reason._

_Even though this reason made me not do homework. Or classwork, for that matter…_

_But yeah. Thank yous go to Belimair, epicookies, and loveliecoraima for reviewing that terrible flashback I wrote. I'll need to go back and fix that one day, I really will. You have my eternal love~_

_Bonus loves to loveliecoraima and epicookies for giving me motivations :3_

_So, Without further ado, I present:_

Chapter Five: Show 'Em All You're Not the Ordinary Type...

A pair of stomping feet and a pleading voice interrupt me and waking dreams. Alarm triggers adrenalin, sending a small jolt-like feeling through my whole body, but then I feel Soul's tiny weight on my chest and remember where I am. _It's not Ross; that's not the life I live anymore._

I sink back into the pillows on the bed, alarm evaporating from my body as swiftly as it had appeared. I pull the blankets higher, enveloping myself in the warmth.

"She's in your room, then?" A strong voice says, though it sounds muffled and hazy in my sleep-ridden mind.

"Y-yes, but she's still sleeping… it's still early; s-she needs her rest…" a familiar voice says, but his name has slipped my mind, just out of reach.

"It's been a week, Pierre, dammit. A strong girl like that should be all better by now!"

"…She fainted for no reason, and she was unconscious for three days. And, she looks emaciated."

_Why can't they just…shh? They're so… loud…_

"Yes, well… She's a Rancher! Ranchers are strong folk, I should know! And anyway, it's eight o'clock. That's plenty early for a Rancher! She's lucky I let her sleep in!" There's lovely silence for a moment, then, "In here?"

I hear a door open, and two sets of footsteps. They get louder, and eventually stop.

I hear light breathing, but maybe it's just Soul.

"Chelsea," a voice says from beside the bed.

_I'm never going to sleep,_ I think, so I whisper, "What?"

"Wake up, girl, time to start your day!" The strong voice, I now realize, is Taro. The familiar voice is, of course, Pierre.

"No thanks," I say, and roll over, facing my back to them. Soul gives a muffled mewl.

"You're lying on your cat," Pierre points out with an almost troubled tone.

I let out a tired let-me-sleep moan and pull a pillow over my head.

Footsteps retreat from behind and reappear on my other side. The blankets pull back somewhat and Soul gives out a grateful mew.

"What are you doing? You hate cats." Taro says, astonished.

"No I don't," Pierre says, but his tone makes me think twice.

"Oh yeah? What about when Martin asked you to cat-sit for him and two hours later you were running to Mirabelle's for help?" Taro says skeptically.

Their fighting is really starting to piss me off.

"_Goddess_," I say, rolling over and sitting up, pillow falling into my lap. "It's like you're _married_." I rub my eyes and blearily open them.

Taro's lip twitches, like he's holding back a smile. Pierre's blushing slightly, holding Soul gently.

Taro suddenly turns around and opens the blinds without warning.

"Holy crap!" I say loudly, shielding my eyes. "That was _uncalled_ for, old man!"

He laughs. I've learned that everyone on the island jokes about Taro and his age; he's in his mid-sixties and he acts the youngest of us all. "Winter's over, youngling, and spring has begun!" He gestures outside, where you can plainly see that he's right; all signs of a blizzard have seemingly vanished into the warm spring air. "And lucky for you, we've finished rebuilding your house!"

I let my hands fall from my eyes, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Taro exclaims. "So get dressed and you can see your Ranch!" He turns around and leaves.

Pierre smiles apologetically, sets Soul down in front of the bed, and leaves, closing the door.

I jump out of bed and quickly dress, grabbing the first things I can find (a purple t-shirt and grey shorts), hastily putting on my trusty button-up, flinging Soul over my shoulder, grabbing my suitcase and rucksack, and practically throw myself out of the bedroom, trying to wrap Jack's bandana around my head.

Walking into the kitchen, Pierre takes my suitcase from me and Taro opens the door, and we step out into the weak spring air.

*O*O*O*

Never having been to the farm yet, I don't know what's in store for me. I'm nervous, to say in the least; what if it's a shitty house? Or it's too small? Or the cupboards are ugly?

It's about a five minute walk from Pierre's house and across the bridge. The land is beautiful, twice the size of the farm itself in the Valley. The plot takes up most of the place, and at the back of the place I can see three dilapidated buildings. I'll have to go check those later.

"Your home," Taro says, stopping in front of a large building. He hands me a set of keys, though I don't know why; I'll probably never lock the door in a place like this.

I take off my rucksack and drop it on the ground, staring at the home –_my_ home— in sadness and amazement.

_Today, I officially start my new life. It's actually happened._

I reach out to open the door when it seemingly opens of its own accord. Gannon stands in the doorway, looming over me.

"_Goddess,_" I shriek, tripping over my own feet as I try to step back, which results in me falling backwards and landing on my ass.

Checking first to see if Soul's okay, I hear all three men chuckling in different levels of amusement.

"Sorry there, Chelsea," Gannon says, smiling ruefully and offering a hand to help me up. I take it, noticing how his rough hands feel similar to Kasey and Patrick's. I guess that's what that line of work'll do to ya. "Didn't mean to give y'a scare… Bad timin', I guess."

"Yeah," I snort, brushing dirt off my pants. _Bad fuckin' timing, that's what my life consists of._

After helping me up, he turns to Taro. "Just got the bed in, Chen got it this mornin'. Kitchen stove came las' night." He looks over towards the back of the land. "I'll be fixin' up the barn and the other buildings the rest of the week," he grumbles. "Shouldn't take more n'a few days."

"Good. So she's okay to stay in the house, then?" Taro asks.

Gannon nods. "Should be, used some material stone fer the support beams; it'll last longer 'n regular lumber since it won't rot. Looks nicer, too."

I thank him immensely, and he leaves, saying it's Eliza's seasonal trip.

After he leaves, I ask Pierre what that is.

"Oh," he says, smiling, and Taro chuckles beside him. "Every year, Eliza demands a new wardrobe- and for good reason; none of her clothes fit from the previous year, or they're all unfit for the appropriate season. So, Gannon takes her to the city and they spend the day shopping. She gets three seasons she can shop for each year. It's really quite adorable when they get off the boat and Gannon's carrying all her bags."

"Until Eliza's out of earshot and he complains about it for the rest of the week," Taro grumbles.

I smile, thinking about it. It's really endearing, their relationship.

"Anyway!" Taro's voice cuts through my thoughts, and he marches to the door of the house. "Your home awaits!"

I pick up my rucksack and open the door.

The house was split up into what seemed to be two rooms: the bathroom and the rest of the house.

The floors were a dark oak, something that looks as lovely as it would if it were still in the earth. The walls were a few shades lighter than the floors, though the contrast between the two accentuated each other nicely.

My eyes traveled to the back of the house. A queen bed lay in the corner, covered by a green and white-checked duvet. A colourful calendar was tacked to the wall beside the bed.

Windows were adorned with soft blue curtains, tied back gently so as to let in natural light.

My eyes travel to the things closer to where I stand.

A small table rested a few feet form the edge of the bed, holding several aged and wrinkled (but otherwise unharmed) leather-bound books. They must have been Grampy's, salvaged from the wreckage of the old house.

Another small table sat in the leftmost corner from where I stood in the doorway, this time homing a telephone that strongly resembles the telephone at the Inn back in the Valley.

Seeing as how everyone here is a five minute walk away, and reception in the Vally is shit, I won't be using it much.

To the right is the kitchen.

_My _kitchen.

Definitely larger than anyone's in the Valley (except for Ruby's, of course), it's got a cozy, rustic feel, everything being within reach wherever I would stand, but it's still spaced out nicely.

A round kitchen table and two chairs are close to the middle of the room. The table has a plain white tablecloth spread over it. Blue is embroidered around the edge of the square fabric.

The refrigerator and a wardrobe are along the same wall that the bathroom's door is, and I realize that I need to move the wardrobe closer to my bed; where it sits now is just tacky, and will probably just be a hassle to get to later on.

A toolbox and what seems to be an extra storage is pushed against the rightmost wall that leads into the kitchen area.

I walk in slowly and set my rucksack down by the wardrobe. It makes a soft _thmp_ as its contents touch the floor.

"It's… wonderful," I mumble, taking in every detail before me.

"It's not much," Taro says somewhat humbly.

I turn around, eyes still roaming around. "No, it's more than I had ever imagined. Thank you." Taro's chest swells proudly.

In all honesty, I'm just playing it up so they'll leave. Right now, all I want to do is sit down with my cat and have a good, long cry.

I glance at Pierre, who, compared to Taro, doesn't look entirely convinced at my words. I quickly muster up a smile and to my best to make it look plausible.

I walk back over and reach for my suitcase that Pierre's still holding. He has a slight frown marring his face as he uneasily hands me my suitcase.

"There should some food and the like in the refrigerator," Taro says, tapping his foot abruptly against the oak floors.

I nod and smile, standing awkward in my own home.

Not quite soon enough, though, Taro's saying loudly, "Well, we'd best be letting you unpack and get settled; if you need any help, let us know!" And with that, he's out of the house, down the path, across the bridge and back to yelling at Elliot for something he's done wrong again. All in under less than two minutes.

Pierre glances at me again. I smile to him, too, though it seems a hell of a lot more weak now that Taro's gone.

"Would you like and help unpacking?" He asks timidly.

"Nah," I say, turning around and laying my suitcase in front of the wardrobe. "It's pretty much just clothes I've got to unpack."

He nods, and I hear movement as he turns around to head out. He seems to hesitate, however, before he opens the door. "You probably don't have much for a meal… would you care to join me at the diner?" He inhales somewhat sharply, and stutters, "W-well, I imagine Julia and Natalie would join us as well, s-so it wouldn't be jus-just us, of co-course…"

The sad part is that I can _imagine_ the blush he's most likely got.

I nod, keeping my eyes fixed on a knot in the flooring. "Sounds good."

If he heard the slight break in my voice, he didn't mention it. "So… uh... Four o'clock, then?" I nod. "Well, see you then…" I hear the door open. "Oh! But will you know how to get to Nick's from here? Would you rather I meet you here instead?"

I shake my head, concentrating on the soft _swsh_ sound my hair makes each time it shifts. "Nah, I'll find my way."

He must have nodded or something, because he doesn't seem like the type of guy to just leave without saying or doing anything to acknowledge someone's final comment.

I wait a few moments before slowly bending forwards and clutching my mid-section, sobs already racking my body.

*O*O*O*

It was probably at least an hour or an hour or an hour and a half before I finally sat myself up off of the floor from where I was laying. My hair was soaked from where tears had fallen into it, leaving an uncomfortable feeling of specific moisture in patchy-like areas. I wipe my face and take a deep breath, setting Soul on my unopened suitcase.

Standing, I shuffle to the bathroom.

It's simple, its rustic feel matching the rest of the house; with black and white tiled floors and wooden walls that match the main room. A stand-up shower is situated in the corner.

Which sucks, 'cause I like baths.

_Guess I'll need to find an easy alternative._

There's a really big mirror, though, which is a total plus. It has beautiful, intricate framework that seems to be made out of brass-

_Holy shit_.

I gasp as I find myself looking into the mirror. Tear stains are more than evident on my face, tracking from the outside corner of my eyes down to my temples and into my hairline. My eyes are puffy and red, not unlike when I've gotten completely baked; Except right now I don't feel good—I feel like complete shit.

I glance back out at the clock hanging from the wall in the kitchen. I've still got several hours before supper, so I let my hair out of the hastily made-up tie-back I did with my bandana, set the shower to its hottest setting, clamber out of my clothes and stumble into the shower, heat relaxing tensed muscles built up in my spine.

I sigh deeply, stretching forwards to feel constricting muscles release gently down my spine. I stay like that for a bit, enjoying the warmth. As I extend my arms out in front of me, I can't help but notice the welts. They're pretty brutal, even for Ross' standards.

Not that I'm trying to say I'm a pansy or anything (which I'm _not_), but my skin's really delicate. I smile as I remember a time when Muffy playfully punched my arm. I had a bruise for two and a half weeks.

By experience, I know these ones'll be here 'till early fall.

Which sucks, 'cause I really would have liked to go swimming.

_What an_ _**asshole**_.

I fume for a bit.

And then I realize I've got no soap.

_Shit_.

In a ninja-like fashion, I wrap myself up in my button-up and jump out into the main room, throwing the top of my suitcase (and almost Soul with it), grab the stuff I need, set the kitten in a bundle of shirts and leap back in the shower, smiling slightly as I curse myself; This isn't the first time I've done this, and I huff as I realize that this definitely won't be the last.

*O*O*O*

Out of the shower and fully dressed two hours later, I plop myself back down in front of my suitcase and start unpacking.

I realize how few outfits I have when I notice that over half of the wardrobe and drawers are still empty when I'm done unpacking.

But then again, I never had any money for myself, much less any to spare.

*O*O*O*

The next few weeks pass simply, with nothing majorly important happening.

Although Taro did give me some dirty looks and a 'stern talking to' when he realized I wasn't growing any crops this season.

"Well why not?" He exclaimed, grinding the tip of his 'walking stick' (that's what he called it, but we all knew it was a cane) into the ground.

I shrug. "It just seems a bit pointless, I guess... Spring's almost over."

He shakes his head indignantly. "That doesn't mean you can't still fit in one harvest before the crop festival!"

I look at him questioningly.

"No one told you?" I shake my head. He sighs and explains the seasonal crop festivals.

"You got that?" He laughs, walking over to an open, roofed area attached to the side of his house. He digs around a large box for a moment before pulling out a large bag of seeds. He tosses them to me. I look at the picture on the bag.

"What in the name of the Goddess are thes-"

"Turnips!" he bursts happily, searching for something again.

"Turnips." I say disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"Yes!" He chatters happily, shuffling around, deeper into the hoard of stacked boxes. "Quickest crop to grow! One week, that's all it takes!" He comes back from the maze of boxes holding a watering can, a hoe, and a sickle. "Who doesn't like turnips?"

I refrain myself from saying that you can't even _buy_ turnip seeds in the valley. They're so goddess damn _gross_.

He hands the watering can and the hoe to me, and begins to walk (quickly, as usual) to the bridge leading to the ranch.

"Hey," I call, laden with tools. "Where're you going?"

Without turning around, he hollers back, "You're planting some damn crops today whether I have to guide you through it or not!"

I shake my head and smile as Natalie peers at me questioningly from where she was organizing boxes.

"You'd best go... If he has to come back for you he'll either drag you to the farm with the sickle or he'll hit you with the cane... Either way, it'll be painful. Though the sickle would probably hurt less..." She ponders for a second, and continues to categorize the boxes.

I laugh and run to catch up to Taro, who's almost already at the plot. I wave to Natalie, who yells back at me for plans for lunch.

*O*O*O*

"Chelsea, hello. Is there anything I could help you find?"

I glance around the shop, a finger resting gently on my lip. "Hi, Chen… Yeah, uhh… Do you… have a…" I mumble. My mind is still drifting as he looks at me quizzically. "A…uh…"

And then I see it, placed beside the counter. "Hey! Can I use that?"

He glances at it and hands it over, giving me an odd stare. "Sure, but… What is it that you need a wicker basket for? It's quite large, really… I think I have a smaller one here somewhere, if you'd rather…"

"No, this one's perfect, actually," I smile. "I'll bring it right back after I'm done, I promise!"

He chuckles. "No, it's fine, keep it."

My eyes widen. "Really? You're sure? Do you want me to pay for it or something, cause I totally wil-"

Chen shakes his head and waves his hand in a passive motion. "I never used it, actually. Charlie and Eliza used it twice, to collect things from the shore. You'd be doing me a favour to take it."

I beam, laughing a bit. "Thanks so much, Chen!"

"You're welcome, Chelsea," He says, and I open the door to the shop and run back to my farm.

*O*O*O*

About ten minutes later, I'm using the wicker basket to haul eighteen turnips to the shipping bin outside of Taro's house—one thing I'm investing in soon will _definitely_ be a shipping bin on my farm.

_Hee hee. __**My**__ farm._

Felicia and Natalie are outside, Natalie laying on the ground, holding a clipboard aloft in front of her with a pen in her mouth, her mother sitting politely on a lawn chair, a clipboard perched on her knee. They're both filling out the week's shipping forms.

"Good morning, dear," Felicia calls, seeing me walking towards them. "Was that you I saw earlier, running out of Chen's shop like a madwoman?" She smiles comically.

Natalie bursts out laughing. "With the basket over your head! You looked like a four year-old playing airplane."

I roll my eyes, but I'm smiling, too. "Uh-huh. I needed for these." I tilt the basket towards them slightly for emphasis.

"What's that, dear?" Felicia asks. Her eyes are already back on the paper.

"Turnips," I say. "Have you finished the order forms yet, or could I slip these in before everything goes out?"

"Nah," Natalie says, sitting up. "You're good…" She looks at the basket, and then something seems to click in her mind; because she jumps up. "Wait, _what_? How the hel-" She stops herself as Felicia gives her a sharp look. She looks at me again for a split second, then marches to the house in a Taro-like fashion, opening the door and sticking her head in. "Gramps! You'd better come and see this!"

_The fuck is going on?_

Taro emerges from the house, looking confused. "What's happening?"

"Look!" Natalie says, pointing to my crops. "_Turnips_."

He gapes for a moment and then picks one up. He looks at it for a few seconds. "They're huge."

He was right; they were probably the size of Sou-

No, they were bigger than Soul.

"They look amazing…" Natalie says in wonder.

"Well, then why are you all in awe? I'm really confused…" I say quietly, setting the basket down; my back was really starting to hurt.

Taro deadpans me a look. "How in Goddess' name did you manage to grow turnips like this in _two days_?"

_**It Begins.**_

_Just kidding._

_Have you ever noticed how there's so many Velseas…_

…_But everyone marries Will? Or is that just a faulty observation on my part?_

_Below in bold is a (sort-of) rant. Read it if you'd like._

_**And also, I've noticed that a lot of people are reading this fiction and have put it on their alerts, but I only have the same three people reviewing.**_

_**Don't get me wrong, I love it when I see people have put me or this fiction on their alert, and I love who's reviewing it, but,**_

_**I really need feedback, I don't care what it is. Even if you really don't feel like giving a couple-sentenced review, Just give me a line, something like, "Good chapter, keep it up." **_

_**Or some shit like that. Long ones are nicer, though.**_

_**Or don't. whatever,**_

_But that was my rant._

_**And, To anyone who plays or has played Tale of Two Towns: I have a question for you. Let me know if you play(ed) it in a review or PM. I have questions for upcoming…__**Things**__… that I need answered 3_

_Again, If you read all that ^, I love you for putting up with me._

_Next chapter, we shall introduce many new people!_

_Keep on writin', _

_xoSoul_


	11. Chapter 6

_Hello!_

_Let's get right into it, then, shall we?_

_It's quite a short chapter but I kinda had to end it here for reasons best found out at the end._

_Thanks to my __**MAGNIFICENT **__reviewers: Belimair, silvershark94, epicookies, and Bloody NailBunny (please calm down.) Eternal loves!_

Chapter Six: I'm Not A Betting Man, But This Is A Sure Thing…

/\/\

_Muffy,_

_So I finally found some paper. I have my pencils with me already… Of course. I'm moved in now, and more or less settled. Cause it's all islands here, it's a fair bit colder than what I'm used to. You'd probably like it, but I think it SUCKS. What's life like without me? Different, I'm sure… Who are your friends? I always got the feeling that I connected everyone… but maybe not. _

_I've started planting again, which is good, I guess- there's this guy, Taro (yeah, like the root), he's hilarious. He KNOWS farming, too. I'm wondering if I should start investing in animals yet. __What are some good cow names?__ You suck at naming things, nevermind. _

_Do you still go to Mineral a lot? Any new boy toys I should be aware of? I imagine Rock's still after you, regardless. Can you tell Romana that the kitten's doing great? How's Lumina's piano practice? And Hugh? How's Jack holding up? And everyone else? Hell, how are YOU?_

_How's Marlin?_

_Are you coming here? When?_

_The ocean here is fucking freezing. I bet you'd love it._

_I've been sober for a month. It fucking sucks._

_There's someone here who really reminds me of you, really looks like you too. If you or someone comes to visit, do you think you could bring some of your old clothes? You know, the stuff that's too small and doesn't fit._

_ I miss you._

*O*O*O*

Beaming, I place Soul over my shoulder and walk outside with my homemade envelope, when suddenly I hear,

"Ack!"

I glance at the cat on my shoulder. "The fuck kind of a noise was that?" I ask, blaming it on Soul. He mewls indignantly as a small, pained voice says,

"Th-That… really… hurts…"

I look around. "Okay, fine. We've established it wasn't you."

"C-Can you do me a huge favor and step back a little?" The voice sounds somewhat feminine.

I automatically take a step back.

There's a few sparkles and a little red-clad figure appears seemingly out of the blue.

"I thought I'd hide to surprise you," she gasps. "But I hid so well that you stepped on me! Well, I guess there are some big advantages to being visible.

"Anyway, you're Chelsea, the new rancher, right? Just moved from Forget-Me-Not Valley?"

I look closely at the figure, crouching on my hands and knees. Soul falls off my shoulder, and this time I pay no attention to his minor tumble.

"Nik…?" I ask to the creature that oh-so resembles one of my smallest friends.

"Nope! I'm Coral, one of the sprites from Harvest Sprite Island! I hope we can be friends!"

Now that I'm almost touching the Sprite with my face, I begin to make out the fine details: The more dress-like outfit, the slightly curvier build, the feminine face.

"How the hell do you know my name?" I mumble curiously.

She hits me on the nose with a tiny closed fist. It makes me feel like I have to sneeze.

"They were right! You do have a potty-mouth!"

"Sorry. Who's 'they'?" I ask. But I quickly gasp, eyes widening. "You knew Nik, Nak and Flak!"

She giggles. "Of course! I _am_ a Harvest Sprite you know! And, anyways, me and Nik have had our fair share of…" she blushes. "You know what, this is about meeting you. They've told me lots of stories about you! And I just _haaad_ to meet you!" She says it in a preppy way, a tone all Sprites seem to use. "You're also a neighbor to our Island! Of course, you don't _know_ that we're neighbors. That's because Harvest Sprite Island is hidden by Sprite magic!"

I won't lie; Harvest Sprites have intrigued me since the day three of them showed up at my farm. I love the way they talk so casually about their abilities.

"And since you've already gotten a good reputation with us, Chelsea, we're going to let you come to our island!" I giggle softly. "We made a bridge over there," She says, pointing to the west of the island. "Come visit us whenever you want!" I nod, beaming. "Well, I should head back. Come visit soon! Bye!" And with that, a cloud of glittering light replaced her as she disappeared as mysteriously as she had appeared.

*O*O*O*

Back onto my daily chores, I walk to Verdure Island, nervously fidgeting with the envelope.

"Hey, Chelsea, what's up?" Natalie asks as I head towards her.

"Not much... You're in charge of shipping and mail as well, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, well, not just me, obviously," she says.

"Yeah but..." I mutter. My head hurts again, it's been happening every so often, and I think meeting Coral today had a major factor in this. "But could you mail this for me?"

"Sure," she says, grabbing a pen from a pocket in her skirt and holding her other hand out for my letter. "Where's it to?"

"The uh... The box in Mineral Town, the one that's for mail to Forget-Me-Not Valley."

She gives me a look that clearly says 'are you fucking kidding me?', but since she's so close to the door, she refrains. "Mineral Town's a big place, Chels. Where's the box?"

I search my head, trying to remember something that could remind me of where it was. "The...uh...it's by...the... the...the Bazaar!" I say the last two words happily, glad I remembered it.

"Got it. I think I know what you're talking about. Can you hold on a sec while I go check the address in the directory?" I nod, head swimming.

"Kay, I'll be right back!" She smiles, and heads inside.

I concentrate on taking deep breaths as the dizziness suddenly intensifies. I go to sit on the shipping bin when my knees buckle and my legs give out.

Yet I don't hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" Pierre asks, an arm around my waist, supporting me as he leads me to the shipping bin so I can sit down.

"Mhmm," I manage to breathe before I have to close my eyes from the intense spinning the ground seems to be doing.

"Are you sure?" He asks, concern wound through his voice.

I don't say anything.

"All right, I'm pretty sure I've got the address, but who are you sending it to...What's wrong?" Natalie bounds out of the house and stops short where she sees me sitting and Pierre with a concerned hand on my shoulder.

"I think she had another dizzy spell," Pierre explains.

There's a gasp from where Natalie's standing. "Aw, crap," she moans. "Are you prone to these or somethin'?"

I shake my head lightly. "Not recently." My headache has subsided somewhat, turning into a low, annoying beating against my skull.

"Should we get you home, then? You should go rest…" Natalie says worriedly.

I shake my head and open my eyes, standing. "Nah, I promised Julia I'd go see her today… She told me I had to meet her around noon… I have to get Soul some food, anyways. I want him to stop eating people food. He's going to go obese and I really don't need that kind of weight on my shoulder, no pun intended." I scowl when Pierre brings a hand up to cover his face.

"Chelsea…" Natalie says, her face etched with concern.

"Look," I say. "I still have a while before I've gotta go to Julia's. I'll stop by Halia's and get some tea, okay? And maybe a sandwich," I add in an undertone.

"…All right…" she says reluctantly.

"I'll see you later then, okay? Thanks for mailing that letter for me!" I turn to leave.

"Right… No problem… Hey, wait! Who's the addressee?" She says, pulling a pen from behind her ear.

"Oh, right… It's to 'Muffy'."

She writes the name down. "Last name?"

I laugh, already casually walking away. "In the Valley, we don't use last names."

*O*O*O*

"Well, hello dear," Halia says sweetly as I walk up to the counter.

"Hi, Halia… um… Can I get a Chai tea and a couple pieces of raisin bread?" I ask, trawling a pocket in my capris for change. I hand her the change and sit down, pulling a second chair over and setting Soul onto it. I then take out my asset book and a pen and begin to jot down my recent earnings and spending.

I'm not sitting for two minutes when I hear someone take a seat in the chair across from me. I continue writing for a moment, thinking it's Julia, Natalie or Pierre that have joined me.

When I finally look up, I'm greeted by fox-like russet eyes staring into mine.

I sit up straighter, startled. "Oh my goddess, I'm so sorry, I thought you were someone else, that's why I didn't look up… I just left you sitting there…" I bring a hand to the side of my face. "You must think I'm totally rude, I'm so sorry."

To my surprise, he chuckles. "Hey, it's cool. You looked busy and I didn't want to pull you out of the zone you were in. and if anything, it's my fault for sitting here uninvited." He smiles. "Chelsea, correct?"

"Yeah, you're Denny, right?" I say as Halia brings me my tea and bread and I smile a thank you.

He nods and holds out a hand. "Nice to meet you!"

I smile and shake his outstretched hand, breaking off a piece of bread. "Here," I offer, pushing the plate towards the centre of the table. "Have some."

He tears a piece of bread off of the previously mangled piece. "So, where you from?"

oOo

Two hours later, my tea has been drunk, bread long gone, and Denny and I are still talking.

After the first several minutes of awkwardness subsided, we'd become completely at ease with each other, and our body language showed it. Denny was leaning on the back of the chair, arms behind his head and slouched down somewhat, so that he was lazily reclined, occasionally removing his hands from behind his head so he could animate his speech with gestures.

On the other hand, I was leaning into the table, hands around my empty teacup, back slouched, elbows on the table.

We'd talked about everything, yet we still hadn't run out of things to talk about. We were currently talking about the different types of fish in the area.

"Over by my house there's a whole bunch of great fishing spots; I've heard there were some pretty rare types of fish in certain places… I could show you, if you'd like," He offers, a gleam in his eye that I couldn't quite describe.

I glance at the clock, it was 11:55. We'd spent almost three hours sitting here, talking.

I back to him, and smile apologetically. "I'd really love to, but I promised Julia I'd meet her at noon… What about tomorrow?"

He looks… put out? I can't tell; his expression says one thing, but his eyes say another. He shakes his head. "Can't tomorrow; it's the Spring Crop Festival…"

"The day after that?"

"I'll be in town all day… It's market day. What about the first of Summer?" He asks, eyes gleaming again. "I'll show you all the good fishing spots around here, then, knowing Julia and Natalie, they'll gather everyone up and we'll all go swimming."

I smile, happy; I seemed to have made a friend all on my own. "That sounds great!" I stand up, grabbing Soul and moving his chair back to its original spot.

"Will you be at the festival tomorrow?" He asks, rising from his chair and stretching.

I nod, leading the way outside. "Participating, actually."

"Riight… you made those monster turnips, right?"

I feel heat rise to my cheeks. "You heard about that, huh?"

"Hell yeah! I think it was like, the day before that happened, Lanna was bitchin' at the diner about you and saying how you'd never be able to grow anything in the soil there. According to her, you didn't look like a good rancher. She woke up the next morning to a knock at her door and one of your turnips was on her doorstep. Man, the look on her face when Natalie talked to her at lunch and made eat her words was _priceless_!" He was laughing, a sound full of genuine happiness and glee. "But anyway. You're gonna be late. Meet me by the dock on the first, okay?" he says, turning to walk back to his house.

"Sue thing," I smile. "See you then!"

*O*O*O*

"You're late, dammit."

"Goddess, sorry," I say as I duck with stunning reflexes under Julia's hand that flies towards my head. I walk to Mirabelle, who is casually standing behind the counter reading a magazine. "Can I get some pet food?" I ask, putting a few notes on the counter. She hands me three cans and I shove them in my rucksack. "Now, _what's_ so important?"

Julia smirks. "Mom wants you to meet my cousin."

I cock my head slightly to the side. "I didn't know you had a cousin," I say.

"Lucky. I wish for that every day. But yes, my _beloved_, pig-headed cousin, who wouldn't take the time to help a helpless, unconscious lady off of a boat."

"Julia," Mirabelle says, casually warning, never taking her eyes off the article she seems to be reading.

"Yeah, yeah," She says under her breath. "C'mon, he's in the barn. Where he belo-" she stops when she sees the look her mother shoots her. She opens a door off to the right of the counter and leads the way through it.

"He's probably moving the cows, moving feed, or sleeping." She opens the door at the end of the hall and it opens into a big stable. She steps in, calling out, "Vaughn! Come here, please!"

From the back of the barn, there's movement, and suddenly, I'm staring into deep, beautiful eyes that I think I could get lost in.

It must have been love at first sight.

/\/\

_**LAME PUN WAS LAME.**_

_With that aside, _

_**THE PLOT THICKENS.**_

_It's midnight-thirty and I'm not tired and I'm texting and I'm in the midst of painting my nails and writing and I have to wake up early tomorrow but it's March motherfucking break so I can't really be giving a fuck._

_But let's hope I'll get no sleep and lots of writing!_

_**BUTANYWAYS.**_

_LOL love at first sight,,, what will our protagonist do? Tell me what she should do, give me ideas. I'd love to know._

_But, yeah. __**REMEMBER THAT CITRUS FRUIT I MENTIONED WOULD APPEAR IN ONE OR TWO CHAPTERS LATER?**_

_I lied (accidentally)_

_I just realized that there was a whole bunch more shit I needed to fit into Spring before it ended. Because __**THE CITRUS FRUIT IS HAPPENING IN SUMMER. **__So calm down because (sadly) It'll be a while yet._

_I had so many lovely reviews. They were so lovely, I gave you guys a cliff-hanger! (What a bitch I am, __**HAHAHA**__ what are you going to do.)_

_Thanks for reading, Thanks more if you reviewed!_

_xoSoul_

_**P.S.**__ I might rename this fanfiction (if I can, I'm still a noob at doing this). If you find that this fic has mysteriously changed its identity, do not fret._


	12. Chapter 7

_It's been twenty days._

_I'm so sorry T.T_

_I got writer's block for the first time in this fanfic. _

_But now, I have a chapter for you!_

_I hope you remember that Cliffhanger!_

_Love goes to: Belimair, Bloody NailBunny, epicookies, and loveliecoraima (I'm so sorry! I forgot T.T forgive meee...) Thank you all for reviewing (and waiting! 3)_

_Chapter Seven: These Friends Are, New Friends Are Golden_

_xXx_

_So… Beautiful…_

She was the sweetest calf I've ever laid my eyes on.

Golden eyes gaze at me curiously, head tilted, wondering if I'm safe. I smile and kneel down, and the calf tentatively walks towards me.

"Uh… Chels? What're you doing?" Julia asks confusedly.

I give the calf a few loving pats on the head and stand up, brushing dirt off of my pants. "Sorry," I say sheepishly, as the calf continues to look at me with its caramel eyes.

Julia gives me a look, and turns to the person standing at her side. A tall, well-built man stands with his arms crossed. He looks around the same age as Pierre. Silver hair and cold violet eyes accentuate a dark Western getup, complete with leather cowboy boots and a black Stetson. Gloves covered his hands, with the index and middle fingers cut off.

I'm intrigued about his eyes. Almost all of the guys I've met up until now have purple somewhere in their appearance.

I don't realize I'm staring until cold eyes shift to me and he utters a harsh, "What?"

I start, somewhat surprised at how rude someone can be to a complete stranger.

_There goes __**his**__ good first impression_, I think bitterly, until I realize I've seen him before; he was on the boat I was, at least, I think he was. I remember him at the Bar when I was waiting for the boat.

He's still glaring at me, so I glare back. "Nothing _asshole_, I was just wondering why you're dressed like you're still playing Cowboys and Indians. Usually, you're supposed to grow up a bit and stop playing dress-up around five or six."

_Well, there goes __**my**__first impression, too._

His eyes flash, and his hands twist into an almost-clenching gesture. Julia's mouth drops open, eyes wide, and suddenly my hand, that was hanging limply by my side touches something velvety. I look down to see that the little calf had wandered over to me, and was now pressing her flank against my leg. I scratched her head absently, still glaring at Vaughn. He glared at me for another few moments, then turned on his heel and stomped off to move more hay bales.

Julia continues to stares at me, speechless. I shrug and kneel back down t give the calf more of my attention. She seems to snap out of it, though, because she says, "She really likes you, huh?" Indicating to the calf that had begun to sniff the kitten on my shoulder.

I smile. "Yeah…" The calf stops sniffing Soul and instead sticks her nose in my face. "Can… can I buy her, Jules?" I ask hopefully.

"Nope," a gruff voice says behind me, and I turn to see Vaughn setting a stack of hay down onto a bigger stack. It's going to the Maple River District," He grumbles, glowering at me with a look of… triumph? Smoldering in his eyes.

I look down at the calf, who's now lying its head on my lap. I must look crestfallen, because Julia begins to kneel down towards me, but I stand up, earning myself a protesting 'moo' from the disgruntled creature.

"Sorry, sweetheart," I say, quietly. I hug her around her neck. "Maybe we'll meet again one day." I walk to the door of the barn, calf following me curiously. "Be right back," Julia says threateningly in Vaughn's direction before following me out.

It was quiet as we exited her house, something I never really ever got when I was with Julia.

"So," she says, breaking the silence. "What're you gonna do now?" I look to the sky, eyes trailing over what can be seen of the farm's island. Through the corner of my eye, a shimmering, green mound rested in the water, close to my farm. Every time I try to focus on it, it seemingly disappears.

Seemingly, of course, is the key word.

"I think…" I mumble, remembering earlier. "I think I'll take a nap."

We say goodbye and I walk away. Once Julia closes the door to her house, I hear her yell "_**VAUGHN!**_" with a venomous tone I hope I never have to be on the receiving end of.

*O*O*O*

I had no intention of taking a nap.

I wanted to meet those damn Sprites.

As soon as I walk into my house, I close the blinds, keeping the lights off, and wait a few minutes. Before I leave, I grab an apple from the fridge, and head to the west side of the Island, locking the door behind me.

I walk across my farm quickly and quietly, reaching the west of the island.

Soft, spongy pieces of green vine-shaped earth led as stepping stones to a much larger island, shaped like what seems to be a leaf.

I walk across the path, wondering what _these_ Sprites would be like.

*O*O*O*

Once I'm on the island I immediately take note of the seven Harvest Sprites that had assembled around Coral in what looked to be a big upside-down V.

Coral takes note of me when my shadow falls over her.

"Oh! Chelsea! You came at the perfect time! We were just talking about you!"

I smile, patiently waiting. She turns to the other Sprites. "Everyone, this is our new neighbor, Chelsea!" She turns to me. "Now, let me introduce you to the other Harvest Sprites on the island! Starting from the left, there's Cinnabar," she says, pointing to a sheepish-looking, orange clad male Sprite, who looked at me, smiled and blushed deeply.

"Primrose," A female Sprite wearing yellow waves enthusiastically at me.

"Matcha," A green clad boy Sprite who was slightly distanced from the others gives a slight wave.

"El," A Sprite wearing a sparkly light blue outfit nods airily in my general direction.

"Seiran," A curious male Sprite in dark blue gave me a half wave and a kind 'Hello!' Before Coral had overrode his greeting.

"And finally, Wisteria." The Sprite closest to me, a female dressed in purple, murmurs a small greeting but continues to look out to sea.

"We were talking about the Harvest Sprites that watched the Valley! And they helped you, right?" I nod. "Well, we were wondering about how _we_ could help you!"

I look at them all, puzzled. I sit down beside Coral, crossing my legs. "How do you mean?"

Cinnabar speaks, ever so softly, his head looking at the ground. "B-Because you're out neighbor and all..."

Primrose nods furiously. "Ranch work seems hard, so we should help you out a bit!"

I gasp. "Really?"

Matcha laughs hollowly. "Yeah! But how we help you might surprise you!"

El looks at me. "We can enchant various places to help you out with your work. You know, if you get too tired," She adds, with a hint of superiority in her tone. "We can do different kinds of enchantments in each area! It's really neat."

I nod. "That sounds great!" I smile.

"Hey!" Seiran pipes up. "Enchanting is tiring! I wanna rest after I'm done!" Wisteria nods, murmuring agreement.

Coral thinks about it. "Okay then, we'll have a rest period after one does an enchanting, how's that sound?"

Wisteria and Seiran hesitate, exchanging a look, but eventually agree.

"Are you good with that, Chelsea?" Coral says. I can't help but nod. "Don't worry, us Harvest Sprites work quietly, so we won't get in your way! We'll help you out as much as possible, Chelsea! Let's work hard, everyone!"

They respond by throwing a handful of (_magical?_ I wonder,) sparkles into the air, and disperse. I converse with a few for a while, and eventually take my leave.

*O*O*O*

The day of the crop festival seemed to pass in a blur. As it had been my first, I had been quite nervous, but when I saw that the people from Mineral town had turnips that ranged in sizes of a golf ball to an apple, the pounding in my chest seemed to ease a little. Everyone had nothing but praise to give me, which relaxed me a bit more. It helped a bit, too, when Natalie started foul-mouthing the other competitors when her family was out of earshot, gaining some hilarious looks from Pierre.

Everyone told me it wasn't a surprise when I won first, but that didn't stop Julia, Natalie, Pierre and Denny from screaming, yelling, and cheering in triumph. It also didn't stop Denny from lifting me onto his shoulders without warning, where he began parading me around the meadow.

It was a good day.

*O*O*O*

I was sitting on the ground facing the west of the island, drawing what I saw, reminiscing about earlier in the day. Denny and I had spent the whole day together, talking, laughing, joking, and even fishing a bit.

It was a _really_ good day.

I had my sketchbook and trusty pencils out, drawing the Harvest Sprite Island bathed in the sunset.

It was spectacular; I just had to capture the moment.

Shade in, smudge, line, look, line, smudge, shade, smudge. The process repeated itself until I was content with the sunset I had drawn. I was so immersed I had tuned out my surroundings, only focusing on the landscape and the image I was recreating,

"What are you doing?"

I let out a small shriek and jumped backwards, pencil flying.

"_Goddess,_ Pierre!" I breathed, placing a hand on my chest as if to steady myself.

"Sorry," he says, one of his genuine apologies as he walks over to pick up my pencil. "I called you from back by your house, but I could already tell you were quite occupied," He smiles, handing me the pencil and sitting beside me. He looks at my drawing. I recommence my drawing, focusing on drawing the Island itself now.

We sit there like that for a while, Pierre watching, in a peaceful silence.

"So, what is it, anyway, what you're drawing?" He murmurs. I startle a bit, but sit up from where I was drawing. I had been hunched, leaning over the paper. I arched my back, sighing as my spine crackled from being in that position for so long.

I look at him for a second, and then go back to drawing. "Harvest Sprite Island," I say contentedly.

"What's that?" He asks, and I can tell he's both intrigued and amused.

"An Island that homes the Harvest Sprites," I say, slowly and obviously.

He laughs. "Of course, of course. How could I have thought of anything otherwise?" I know by his tone that he thinks me jokingly childish, and he doesn't believe me.

But then again, who _has_?

I close my sketchbook. It's gotten dark, and the island has gotten difficult to see.

"So, what're you here for? I don't think you came all the way here to watch me _draw_," I say jokingly, tucking my pencils into my rucksack and picking Soul up from where he lay on the grass beside me.

Pierre stands, offering a hand to help me to my feet. I take it, and he gently pulls me up. I brush dirt off my pants as he does the same.

"Well, you've got a knack for cooking, so I was wondering; remember that time when you asked where I go every month?" I nod, remembering the days when it was only Julia, Natalie and I.

"Well, as I've said, I go out of town for cooking festivals... I was wondering if you'd like to join me, this time?"

I look excitedly at him."Really?" I've always wanted to watch a cooking festival, one where I'm not part of it, or there's no prejudice because I know the competitors. I also think it'd be a great opportunity to travel and draw more.

He nods, a small smile on his face from what must be the look of my face. I give a small, happy shriek and wrap my arms around his waist, laughing.

He laughs too as I let go of him and begin to bound over to my house.

He's calling for me to wait, but I'm not listening. Once I'm inside, I grab my suitcase and begin throwing clothes into it. He steps into the house, as I had left the door open. He sets down my rucksack on the table; he must have grabbed it for me after I ran off.

"Chelsea, I'm- well, we-we're not leaving until the night of the twelfth..." He says, somewhat ineptly.

I look at him, pausing mid-fold of a shirt to say, "Huh?"

He blinks slowly, smiling. "The competition isn't until the thirteenth... We're not going until the evening of the twelfth, and we'll arrive there the same night."

"Oh," is all I can manage to say. I look down at my suitcase, saddened.

He gives a little chuckle. "What's got you so excited, anyways?"

I smile, picking up my sketchbook from beside me. "I've been waiting for a great opportunity to draw more; I've drawn probably everything and everyone in the Valley, and I'm going to have lots of time to draw stuff here... I suppose I'm excited to see the world, too. I've never left the Valley before now," I say, flipping through all my drawings.

"Really? Never?" He asks curiously. "But you were right beside Mineral town!"

I shrug, closing the book and hugging it tight to my chest. ""I've gone there maybe once or twice as a kid for maybe a few hours. My brother was usually the one to go up. I'm not good with strange people," I add quietly.

"Well, that's all right," Pierre says, leaning down to pat me on the head. "We'll most likely be together the whole time, and, anyways, it's not that big of a place. There's lots of scenery there, though, so that must be good, right?" I can tell he's trying to bring me out of the slight depression I'm in.

But I brighten anyways at what he says. "Where is this place, anyways?"

He smiles. "It's two towns, actually; Konohana and Bluebell. They've got probably four competitions a month. They're really quite competitive with each other," he adds, thinking.

I stand up, kicking my suitcase into a corner. "Eleven more days." I go to the table and search my rucksack until I find one of my purple ink pens. I go to the calendar by my bed and draw a little purple top hat in the corner of the box marked '12'. As I turn back to put the pen away, I ask, "How long will we be there?"

He tilts his head to the side. "Well, the soonest ticket I could get was the 17th. So, probably around four and a half days."

I must look ecstatic, because Pierre bursts out laughing. "I can already tell you're going to love this," He says, heading towards the door. "Anyways, I really must be off; it's already gotten quite late." I glance at the clock in the kitchen; it's already past 9. I follow him out and stop by the door. "You should join us for brunch tomorrow," he says, walking backwards and waving to me from where I stood. "Natalie was saying something Julia told here… I think it was about you meeting Vaughn; it sounded quite humorous." I smile, surprised at how it hasn't been spread around the island by now.

"I'll be there," I call back, waving. "See you."

_xXx_

_So how was that? I didn't know how to end it._

_Next chapter will be set in Tale of Two Towns, Chapter after that will most likely contain that long-awaited citrus fruit I was talking about... Haha, now you're expecting something, aren't you?_

_I want my next chapter up in two weeks... We'll see what happens, I'm a terrible procrastinator, I get discouraged __**way**__ too easily, and I'm writing two other fictions besides this one. But that won't stop me! (the discouraging might.)_

_I already have a slight plan laid out for my next chapter. It'll most likely be a long one, so it'll definitely be worth the wait!_

_Please take your time to review; it gives me motivation, which is really all I need to want to write!_

_Until next time (hopefully it won't be this long),_

_xoSoul_


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